Life Starts Now
by NaruSasuNaruLover
Summary: NaruSasu Sasuke had been hardened by his life; he built walls up to protect himself. When he goes to college he meets his roommate, Naruto, who wants nothing more than to tear his walls down. Reposted/Revised
1. Home

**Okay, second time around with trying to write this story, hopefully this time it'll go better…**

**I have an outline and if I stick to it there will be 32 chapters, including the epilogue…**

**I hope to get the next chapter out rather quickly since it is already written and I just need to fix it so that it'll work with the rest of the story…I suggest reading the chapters that have already been posted before because I am making some changes, perhaps not in the next chapter but in may of the other ones…I tried to slow this story down a little bit because I think that was my problem the first time writing it…anyway, let me know what you think…**

**This is an added chapter; this was inspired by the Three Day's Grace song Home**

**As always, I own nothing…enjoy and please review**

**Chapter 1: Home**

A crash rang through the house. Uchiha Sasuke closed his eyes, wishing to escape from the sound. He wished he could escape and just get away from the violence that he knew was going on down the stairs. He'd only be around long enough to see him hit her once and after that she sent him away to his room. It was then that he'd learned what the look of rage looked like on his father's face.

Sasuke had thought that his life was normal. He hated to hear the sound of his mother's cries each night, but he had grown up hearing them. As far as he was concerned it was normal for a father to beat his wife and children. His brother, Itachi, did nothing to stop the beatings and therefore he thought that everything must be okay.

It wasn't until he was six that he learned his family wasn't normal. At six his parents allowed him to go on his first sleepover. His best friend, Suigetsu, lived across the street and it assured his parents that they'd be able to reach him if needed. The other reason they allowed Sasuke to go was because Itachi was friends with Suigetsu's brother, Kisame, and would be there too.

He didn't truly realize how different his family was until about eight o'clock. At that time his house would usually be filled with his mother's cries and pleads, but Suigetsu's house was silent. "It's really quiet," he said, trying to see if it were always that quiet or if it were just the night. He knew that in his house there would be rare nights that were filled with silence.

"Yeah," Suigetsu agreed. "Isn't it usually in your house?" he asked, confused by his friend's observation. They had been playing a video game, which at that point neither one of them was very good at. Sasuke just shrugged, not wanting to seem different.

The next day, Sasuke was back at his own home. As the night went on he realized how much he wished his house were more like Suigetsu's. He missed the quiet of the other boy's house. It wasn't that noise in general bothered Sasuke; it was the sound of his mother's screams. It was at that point that he started to wonder if it were his or Suigetsu's house that was different.

As he always did, he went to his brother for the answer. At that point Sasuke idolized his brother, in his eyes Itachi could do no wrong. The older Uchiha was perfect; he got straight A's and was always at the top of his class. He was a quick learner and good at everything that he tried. Sasuke wasn't that lucky, he actually had to work in order to be anywhere near perfection. Still he dreamed of growing up to be just like his brother.

There was a timid knock on Itachi's door. The older Uchiha knew exactly who it was just by the knock. "Come in Sasuke," he said, causing the young boy to open the door. Itachi signaled his brother toward him, "What's wrong?"

Sasuke often tried to cover his emotions, but Itachi could always see right through him. He crawled right onto his bed, sitting cross-legged across from his brother. "I'm confused," Sasuke said, a perplexed look on his face.

"What are you confused about?" Itachi asked. He wished that he could always protect the younger boy, but knew that he couldn't. No matter how much it hurt him to see Sasuke in any sort of pain, he knew that he'd have to learn eventually. Itachi had a feeling as to what Sasuke was confused about; he just hoped that he was wrong.

"Suigetsu's parents don't fight like ours," he explained. He was still young and wasn't hardened by the world, Itachi wasn't sure that he was ready for Sasuke to understand what was going on. He didn't want him to lose his innocence because of their father's actions.

"I see," Itachi replied. He was trying to figure out how to explain it to Sasuke. It wasn't as if he could say, _"Well our father is an asshole"_ he knew that wouldn't go over well. Instead he took a deep breath and explained it as calmly as he could. "Father has a different way of venting his anger," he said, knowing it wasn't a good response. "His actions aren't conventional," he added.

"Why?" Sasuke asked. It was a simple question with a not so simple answer. The younger Uchiha was still confused. He didn't quite understand why his family was so different from other families.

Itachi looked at Sasuke, seeing his innocent, confused stare. He wished that he could just say, _"You'll understand when you're older" _but he knew that the kid was too persistent to leave it at that. "Listen Sasuke," he sighed, trying to find the right words. "Father's actions aren't right," he told him. "I'm not sure why he does it, but it is his way of releasing anger," he tried to explain.

"Is he hurting her?" Sasuke asked sadly. He knew it sounded like screams of pain but he didn't want to believe that his father would hurt her. He tried to picture his father as a good man, but it was very hard to do when he heard her screams. "Why can't he find a different way to release anger?" he asked ignorantly.

"Some actions can't be explained," he told Sasuke. He didn't answer the first question, not sure how to tell the other boy that his mother was being beaten up and he was doing nothing about it. "Just try to go to sleep, everything will be okay," he promised.

Sasuke just nodded with a frown. He didn't get all of the answers that he was looking for, but he got the most important one. He had confirmed that it was his family that was abnormal.

Over the next few years he'd learn that it wasn't only his mother that his father hurt. By the time that he was seven he'd received beatings as well. The only reason given was that his work wasn't perfect. At seven he was told that his grades had to be perfect. By eight he had a full understanding that his father was a monster. By eight he had learned that just because you live in a house, it didn't always mean that it felt like a home.

**TBC…?**

**This is just a short chapter – really you could probably call it a prologue rather than the actual start to the story…this was added just to show how the Uchiha brothers interacted before it happened **


	2. Never Again

**As always I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**Every chapter title is based on a song – this one is a Nickelback song – which inspired the whole story.**

**This chapter didn't really change much…also, I do plan to try to update this quickly for each chapter**

**Chapter 2: Never Again**

The Uchihas, when one heard that name they had thought prominence, money, class, looks, elegance, and most of all: the picture perfect family. The problem is, every family has some dysfunction to it, whether they show it or not. In fact, those that try to hide their dysfunction the most, are usually the ones that have the most to hide.

On the outside the Uchihas were the picture perfect family. They were the kind of family everyone wanted to have. They had the father that worked hard, the stay at home mom, and the two boys that were at the top of their classes. To everyone on the outside nothing was wrong, but to everyone on the inside, nothing was entirely right.

The things they did were never out of choice; they were out of fear and hope. Uchiha Mikoto kept the house clean in the fear that if she didn't, she'd get beaten once again. It was the same reason that every meal had to be perfect and done at the time she said it would. Everything had to be in perfect order, or else there would be hell to pay.

The boys had learned to keep their grades up out of the fear that what happened to their mother would happen to them. Uchiha Fugaku always threatened them to hit them and they knew it wasn't an empty threat. They knew that if they stepped out of line or did badly at anything they tried, they'd be in trouble. They were the perfect children, not because they wanted to be, but because they _had_ to be.

Uchiha Sasuke, eight years old, sat at the kitchen table doing his homework. He had been working on the math problems his teacher assigned. He concentrated, trying to figure out the answer. He knew that he couldn't ask for help, not while his father was in the room, so instead he just continued to try to think back on what he'd learned earlier that day.

"Aw, Sasuke there's a little girl outside leaving a present at the door," his mother said as she looked at the window. "I bet she has a crush on you," she smiled at her son before walking over to him and putting her hand on his shoulder.

His face took on a look of disgust, "Ew, girls are gross." He looked at his mother and said, "I don't want them to have a crushes on me. They have high pitched voices and wear pink."

His mother laughed and said, "One day you will." He just shook his head, disagreeing with her. She smiled at him again, "It's a part of growing up; you'll understand when you're older." She looked at her son, knowing he'd be a little heart breaker when he got older. He had the Uchiha good looks: dark black hair, the matching black eyes, yet the pale skin to contrast it. She smiled when she realized that he looked more like her than his father, she hoped that he would act more like her too.

Their conversation was interrupted when Fugaku looked at the clock, "I thought that you said that dinner would be ready at six." He had a calm yet threatening tone to his voice. "It's six ten. Shouldn't it be ready?" he asked looking at her in distain. It was a tone that none of them ever wanted to hear.

"It's almost ready, I was just talking with Sasuke," she said as she hurried to the stove. "Just five more minutes," she hurriedly said.

Fugaku looked at Sasuke, not hiding his feelings toward him. It was obvious that he favored his other son. Sasuke rubbed his arm from where his father had hit him a few nights before, but continued to look down at the paper. "Stop wasting your time and get to work making dinner. The boy needs to do his homework anyway, Itachi would be done with it by now," he said before walking out of the room.

Sasuke knew better than to think that was the end of the conversation. That was just the calm before the storm. He never hit before dinner, it was always when they just started to let their guard down. Sasuke was starting to realize that he should never be comfortable around his father; he could strike at any time.

"Go get ready for dinner honey, you can finish your homework when you're done eating," Mikoto smiled at him. He just nodded, making her frown at the fact that he looked so sad. She knew that he was scared of his father, but there was nothing she could do. She was scared of him too and leaving him would surely mean more harm to hear than staying with him. No matter where she tried to take the boys, he'd find her and find a way to get full custody of Sasuke and Itachi. The risk of never seeing her boys again was too much for her to handle.

**NS**

That night, Sasuke was playing one of his video games when he heard it, the crashing of glass. He figured it was a vase since they had plenty of them around the house. He knew it was only matter of time until it happened again. He paused his game, knowing he couldn't play while he knew his mother was getting hurt.

As quietly as he could, he got up and snuck down the stairs. He sat in the dark on the stairs, where he could see the living room and everything he was doing to her. Sasuke wished that he could help, but he was too young and too weak to even try to stand up to his father. He knew better than to go against him and he had the bruises to prove that even if he did, he wouldn't win. So instead, he watched terrified, realizing that no matter how many times it happened, he'd never get used to seeing her get thrown against the wall to the point that she'd almost need stitches.

'_I wonder if he'll have to take her to the hospital again,'_ he thought sadly as the man he had to call a father gripped his mother's arm tightly as he took all of his rage out on her body. He never left marks in places people could see unless he could come up with a valid excuse for them being there. If he bruised or broke her arm, he'd merely say that she was clumsy and pass it off as nothing. Sasuke had learned long ago that if you act like normal and like nothing is wrong, no one will think twice about what you say. His father did it all the time and it just made him not believe in the happy endings that fairytales made other children believe. No one stopped the dragon that was his father, why should he believe in any other fairytale ending?

As Mikoto was pushed against a wall for what felt like the millionth time that night, she saw Sasuke sitting on the stairs. She didn't want her son to see Fugaku as a monster, despite the fact that he was. "Sasuke go back to bed," she cried to him, not able to contain the tears that fell from her eyes. She knew that it was only when the boys did something wrong or came out of their rooms during one of her beatings, that they got hurt.

Before Sasuke could say anything, Fugaku turned to him, "I'd listen to your mother." He had such rage in his eyes, like he didn't care that his son was only eight, he would just as easily break him like he broke Mikoto and not even think twice about it.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, wanting to help his mother, but the look she had a pleading look in her eyes that told him that he'd better go. He stood up and hurried up the stairs, _'Why couldn't I just be stronger?'_

"You really care about the boy don't you?" Fugaku asked. "You know, I looked over his homework," he started. "He got some of the questions wrong," he said angrily. "Uchihas don't get questions wrong," he added. The tone in his voice was chilling and made her wonder why she ever married the man in the first place.

"Well then teach him how to do it Fugaku," she had had enough of how he acted, of all of the beatings. "You're his father," she told him. "You're supposed to help him," she frowned, knowing she'd get hit for her comment. The only thing that she felt was more important than her own life was her sons' lives.

"You don't tell me what to do," he yelled as he backhanded her across the face, making her fall to the ground, hitting her head on the living room table as she went down. "I'm going to go have a talk with the boy, straighten him out," he said as he turned toward the stairs. "Talk" was his code word for beating and she wasn't going to let that happen again.

"No," she said as she stood up. He stopped in his tracks, looking at her as she continued to speak, "No you won't." She opened the gun cabinet, which was supposed to be locked, "I've had enough." Hurting her was one thing, but the thought of him hurting Sasuke again was too much. Finally she had gained enough courage to do something about it, but she knew that using a gun would be the only way to ensure that her boys would have a better life. A simple threat wasn't enough to make him stop; she had to follow it through. She pulled the trigger, causing the gunshot to echo through the house and Fugaku to fall to the ground. She knew that the police would probably be called by one of their neighbors, but there was no way she was going to try to make it look like an accident, it was far from one. Once he hit the ground, she felt a weight was lifted off of her shoulders, at that point she didn't care about the consequences, she just wanted him dead.

Meanwhile, Sasuke sat in his room staring at the television screen. He had yet to resume his game when he heard the shot. His eyes widened and he'd thought that his father had actually killed his mother. _'Which one pulled the trigger?'_ was all he wondered as he jumped out of bed and ran down stairs. He didn't care if it meant that he may get a beating, he had to find out what happened; hoping that it wasn't too late to help his mother.

He stood at the halfway point in shock; his mother had the gun in her hand. She stood there, standing still as if she couldn't believe she'd actually done it. Her arms had dropped to her sides as she watched Fugaku start to bleed out from the wound in his heart.

Sasuke knew that he should be sad that his father was lying dead on the ground, but he couldn't bring himself to feel anything. The man had hurt everyone in the family, and so he couldn't exactly say that he'd miss him. It wasn't like he acted like a father, he didn't even deserve the title of father – he hadn't earned that title.

Itachi ran into the room and immediately started to survey the scene. At thirteen years old, he was a very smart young man and he knew what would happen to his mother. He quickly grabbed the gun from her and said, "Go." Before she could say anything, he said, "Go before the police come." His mother was covered in blood splatter; he couldn't have her there when the police arrived.

Without thinking, Mikoto took off as fast as she could. She figured that the police would search for her to arrest her and Itachi wanted to let her get somewhere safe. All she could think was, _'Don't do anything stupid Itachi.' _

Sasuke looked at Itachi, who was wiping the gun clean of any finger prints before replacing them with his own, "Itachi what are you doing?" He was concerned for his brother since he seemed to be doing his best to cover up that their mother just killed their father. He wasn't sure what he was planning.

Itachi shot the gun toward the wall, leaving a bullet and making it so that they'd be sure to find gunpowder residue on his hands. "It'll all be fine," Itachi assured him. "Kakashi will be named your guardian," he informed the young boy. "Just don't talk and go along with everything that I say," he said to Sasuke. "Do you promise?" he asked and the youngest Uchiha just nodded. "Good," he sighed, trying not to think if he was doing the right thing. Itachi continued to make it look like he committed the crime, including trying to incriminate himself, making it seem as if he had killed their mother as well. Itachi knew the criminal justice system and how it would play out and he wanted to make sure that if anyone had to take the blame he was the one.

**NS**

Sasuke wasn't sure what there were more of: Police officers or reporters. The police officers were trying to get him to talk, but he refused. He knew his brother was lying and he wanted no part of it. "Don't worry kid, we're going to contact the person your parents named as your legal guardian and you'll be in a safe home as soon as possible," one of the police officers assured him. "Hopefully we'll find your mother soon, though your brother is telling us that she's dead as well. Do you know where he might have put the body?" The officer was trying to be gentle with Sasuke, but could tell that he wasn't making matters better.

Sasuke didn't say anything; instead he merely shook his head no. He looked down as the police officer escorted him out of the house and past the reporters. They told him he'd be safe at the police station until Kakashi could pick him up. All Sasuke wanted was his brother, but he knew that he wouldn't get that. He looked over to one of the rooms and saw that he was being interrogated to see if he were telling the truth. He knew they were going to have him sign a confession and that would seal his brother's fate.

The cops were trying to be discrete but Sasuke could still hear them talking, "Yeah, the kid confessed. Thirteen and he killed both of his parents. He still won't tell where his mother is." Everyone knew that Itachi was a prodigy, which was the only reason that they were able to believe that he'd committed the crime.

The other cop's eyes widened, "Wow, it's like nothing I've ever seen. It's unbelievable. But he signed the confession, right?" The first cop nodded. "I can't believe it. Do you think they'll prosecute him as an adult? He could get 25 to life if they do." He had committed murder, even more so it was supposedly premeditated, and there was a very good chance that he'd be tried as an adult. Sasuke was ready to cry but all he could remember was his father telling him that men don't cry.

"They could to make an example out of him," the other responded. "I just feel bad for the brother, now he has no real family, only that pervert Kakashi," he said filled with sympathy for the boy. Nobody seemed to take Kakashi seriously and most wondered why the Uchihas would list him as the guardian. They didn't know how much the man actually contributed to the Uchiha Corporation.

Sasuke frowned at their words, he didn't like the idea that Itachi could get a life sentence for something he didn't do. He found himself hating his mother in that moment and angry with Itachi for taking the blame. _'Why'd they have to leave me all alone?' _he wondered, just wishing for some real family to comfort him in a time like this.

"Kakashi's here," a new cop said to him with a smile as he escorted the silver-haired man into the room. He didn't expect an answer; Sasuke had been silent since they brought him in. It was almost like he had become a mute.

Kakashi frowned at the boy. He knew everything about the Uchihas, even the bad, and he truly doubted Itachi had done what he said he did. "Ready to go Sasuke?" he asked. The boy just nodded, it was obvious that a piece of him had broken with the disappearance of his mother and the persecution of his brother. "Don't worry Sasuke, it'll be okay," he tried to assure the young boy, though Sasuke didn't seem convinced.

**TBC…**

**So, what do you think so far? Good, bad, horrible? Let me know….should I continue? **


	3. Get Thru This

**So this chapter's title is from an Art of Dying song…every chapter will be inspired by a song title…If you haven't heard of this band and like rock music you should check them out – I love his voice and they have a song with Adam Gontier from Three Days Grace which is used later in this story as a chapter title and one of their songs did inspire the title of this story**

**As always I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**Kakashi isn't very in character this chapter, he will be when used in later chapters, but these first chapters are just too somber for me to use the kind of Kakashi I would usually write in my stories – somewhat perverted and always poking fun at the other characters **

**As always I own nothing regarding the Naruto characters – if I did it would be a very different story :) **

**One last note – reviews would be appreciated – especially if you review on the newest chapter it would also be appreciated if you reviewed on the previous chapters – I am updating quickly after all…**

**Chapter 3: Get Thru This**

Kakashi looked at the youngest Uchiha. The young boy was sitting in his chair, looking down at his hands. He had been playing with his hands for the past ten minutes, thinking about something that the older man couldn't figure out. It was like the young man had a secret, as he was hiding behind his long, dark bangs and his black eyes were shining with sadness, not hatred.

For only being eight, everyone knew that Uchiha Sasuke knew how to hold a grudge. Kakashi had no doubt in his mind that if Itachi had killed his parents, he'd be angry with him. Even though Itachi was the one person Sasuke looked up to more than anyone, Kakashi knew that he wouldn't be able to forgive him for killing his parents right in front of him, especially his mother. The silver haired man took a deep breath, quietly saying to himself, "Damn it, he didn't do this." It saddened him to know that neither of the Uchiha brothers was speaking up.

Kakashi looked over at the older Uchiha, who had been handcuffed and was being interrogated one last time. The cops weren't supposed to continue to interrogate once there was a confession, but they did because none of them believed the confession. Sasuke hadn't wanted to leave his brother; he practically refused the night that Kakashi had come to get him. The only way he got him out of the police station that day was by telling him that they could come see him the next day.

"What are you doing back here?" one of the police officers asked Kakashi. "Sasuke doesn't need to see this," he added. The officer sounded annoyed with the other man's actions. He felt that Sasuke didn't need to be scarred more than he already was. Everyone knew that the incident would change Sasuke forever and the officer didn't want it to be worse by watching his brother be taken to jail.

"I promised we could come back, that's the only way he'd leave yesterday," Kakashi explained. "I'm just not sure what to think of it, Asuma," he then added. It was his way of saying that he didn't believe that Itachi had done it.

The other man looked over at Sasuke as he shrugged. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, "He's the only family the kid has left." He offered Kakashi one, but the man just turned it down, "Don't dwell on it. Just get the kid out of here." Asuma wasn't willing to think about what else may have happened in the Uchiha house, he didn't want to believe that an innocent man was going to go to prison.

Kakashi nodded as he watched the dark haired man walk away. "Easier said than done," he said, knowing the boy would put up a fight. He sighed, _'Maybe I should have taken that cigarette.' _He stood up straight and walked over to Sasuke, "Come on, it's time to go."

Sasuke just looked up, but he didn't say anything. He shook his head and looked back at his brother, showing that he wanted to be there for him. The kid was stubborn, everyone knew that and in that moment he was showing just how stubborn he could be. He didn't want to abandon the only family he had, especially since he knew the truth.

"Don't make me carry you," Kakashi warned. The Uchiha just stared him down, not believing that he'd do it. "Don't say that I didn't warn you," the man said as he picked Sasuke up and threw him over his shoulder. "Time to go," he grinned.

"Put me down," Sasuke yelled as he kicked. "Kakashi this is embarrassing," he added as he saw everyone staring. None of the Uchihas were easily embarrassed, but he had known the family well enough to know that his actions would definitely be embarrassing. Uchihas had too much pride and being carried out of a police station was one way to hurt anyone's pride.

"Will you be a good boy and do what you are told?" he asked with a sly grin. He was having too much fun with torturing Sasuke, especially considering the situation.

"I'm not a dog," Sasuke growled. He tried to squirm out of Kakashi's arms with no success. "Let me go," he demanded.

"Then stop making me treat you like one," the man simply said. "I mean there is a fine line between dog and child. I could always demean you by getting you one of those leashes for kids," he grinned. He knew that he shouldn't be smiling at that moment, but messing with the young Uchiha was just too much fun.

"Fine I'll behave, just let me go," Sasuke cried, as he looked around, incredibly embarrassed at his situation. He hunched over, trying to hide behind his dark bangs.

"Promise?" Kakashi grinned, knowing how much the young Uchiha hated his predicament.

"Yes I promise," Sasuke cried out. Kakashi just chuckled and put the boy down. Sasuke turned and kicked the older man in the shin before crossing his arms stubbornly.

Kakashi looked at the boy with disapproval. It didn't really hurt, so he didn't yell at him. He knew, just by looking at him, that Sasuke had been through enough. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said. Sasuke just nodded before taking one last glance back at Itachi.

They walked out to the car; Sasuke remained silent the entire way. While it was normal for an Uchiha to be quiet, it was still a signal to Kakashi that something was wrong. He tried to make conversation, but nothing he brought up would make the boy talk. The only thing Sasuke would say was "Hn" or "Whatever." The only way he had gotten anything resembling a full sentence was when he embarrassed him; it made Kakashi believe that there was more to the story.

When they got to the car, the silver haired man looked over at the young boy, trying to decide whether or not he should ask the question. "Tomorrow we're going to find out your brother's sentence," the older man said as he looked back at the young boy. He didn't start driving; he felt that the conversation was too important.

"Hn," Sasuke said, looking out the window. He was frowning as he stared at the police station that he knew held his brother. Sasuke knew they were trying to find out the truth, but he also knew that they wouldn't break him – they wouldn't get Itachi to tell what truly happened that night.

"Your brother could get sentenced to life in prison Sasuke," he said, hoping that the boy would show some kind of emotion. He wanted him to say something. To tell him that he deserved it or that he didn't do it, anything to show that Sasuke knew what happened. Sasuke looked down at those words and so Kakashi pushed further, "If you know something that could change that, you need to tell me."

"I can't," Sasuke said quietly. "I promised Itachi that I wouldn't," he added meekly. He didn't want to break his promise, so instead he sat quietly in the back seat, playing with his fingers.

"How about I guess and you just nod if I'm right," Sasuke just nodded, figuring it wasn't telling if he didn't actually say anything. "Am I right in thinking that Itachi didn't kill your parents?" Sasuke nodded in response and Kakashi just frowned again. "Is your mother still alive?" he acquired another nod. "Did she do this?" earned him yet another nod. "Will you tell the judge and jury this?" Kakashi asked, but Sasuke just shook his head no. "Why not?" the older man asked. "If you tell us where your mother is then all charges will be dropped against Itachi," he tried.

"Itachi told me not to," Sasuke said. "He doesn't want them going after our mother," the young man explained. He was close to crying, but he wouldn't allow the tears to fall.

Kakashi frowned as he thought about what Itachi was doing, "If you tell me then we can get a lawyer to help her. She could claim temporary insanity or self defense." He'd known the Uchihas for years and he'd never thought that Mikoto would let her son take the blame for something she did. When Sasuke didn't say anything, he sighed and looked straight ahead of him as he said, "Don't worry Sasuke, you'll get through this." Sasuke didn't say anything and didn't look like he believed him. Kakashi wasn't even sure that he believed himself.

**NS**

As they sat in the courtroom all Kakashi could do was hope for a good outcome. He knew that with a signed confession, Itachi would probably be going away for a long time. But he also knew that the community loved Itachi and that most couldn't believe that he would do something so crude as to murder his parents. If he were to have denied it, he certainly could have gotten off by the mere fact that most people just didn't _want _to believe it. He just hoped that the judge had the same view.

"He's being prosecuted as an adult," an officer informed them. Kakashi just nodded and put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder to comfort him. The man wasn't sure why Itachi had refused to have a lawyer, they could afford the best and he knew that it would definitely help in his sentencing. When the officer left, he tried to make everything appear okay. "It'll be okay," he once again assured Sasuke. He knew Sasuke didn't believe it, but at that point he was trying to assure himself as well. At that point the young Uchiha had stopped responding. He just looked forward and pretended that everything was okay.

**NS**

Itachi stood in front of the judge. He had confessed to murder, there was no need for a jury to decide the verdict. It all depended on how the judge felt about the case. "Never in my life have a seen a case such as this," the judge told him. "You have admitted to killing two of the most prominent people in the community, your own parents," he continued, a stern look on his face as he examined Itachi. He looked over the evidence that was collected and felt as if he had no choice. "I hereby sentence you to life in prison," he stated. "With the chance of parole in 25 years," he added. "Court dismissed," he finished as the officers of the court started to handcuff the Uchiha.

Sasuke looked as if he were about to cry as he watched his brother be taken away in handcuffs. Their eyes met as Itachi walked passed him. Sasuke was silently pleading for him to say something, to take back his confession, but he did no such thing. All Itachi did was look at him as if to say, _"I'm sorry" _and then continue on to his new destiny.

"You can say something you know," Kakashi said as he looked down at the youngest Uchiha. The young boy finally let a tear fall from his eye as he shook his head. He didn't trust his voice in that moment, knowing he wasn't truly strong enough to watch his brother go away for something he didn't do.

**NS**

When Sasuke went back to school, he didn't know how to take all of the sudden attention. He felt awkward as he sat on the playground in the morning with all eyes on him. They may have all been young, but it was all that all of their parents had been talking about. Everybody knew what had happened and everybody was looking at him with a look of extreme sorrow. He could hear people say, "Poor Sasuke" and "How could his brother do that?" Even the teachers pitied him. If there was one thing Sasuke truly hated, it was to be pitied.

"Hey Sasuke," a voice said, far more timid than he had ever heard her voice. He looked up to see a red head girl, light haired boy, and a blonde boy. They were his only three friends: Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo. "How are you doing?" she asked gently.

He looked at her as if she were crazy. Not only was the question crazy, but the way she was acting was also. The girl was usually quite loud and somewhat obnoxious, as he found all girls to be. Juugo was the only one acting normal, as he was being quiet, as usual. Suigetsu and Karin would usually be fighting or talking about something, but they were acting as if he were too fragile for any of that.

"I'd be better if you'd acted normal," Sasuke answered as he looked at the ground. He didn't meet their eyes. "Everyone else is already acting weird, you guys don't need to," he said sadly. He was truly vulnerable in that moment, but he refused to let it show. He had pulled his knees into his chest, wrapping his arms around them as if he were protecting himself from everyone.

Karin looked at the other two boys and nodded, "Well, then you got it." She sat next to him, "Just remember you asked for it." She tried to make him smile even though she knew the boy didn't want to; she knew she had to make everything as normal as possible. It was difficult for her to act normal when everything was far from normal, but she tried for Sasuke's sake.

The other two sat down, following her lead. "Don't yell at us later when we're being annoying," Suigetsu added with a smile. Though the words were forced. He knew they were all trying to act normal, though none of them actually felt that anything was normal.

Sasuke forced a small smile on his face as he looked at them, "Thanks guys." Everybody had been on pins and needles around him; it was nice to have a few people who still treated him as if he were a human being. It wasn't as if he were broken just because his brother was suddenly in prison. "Please don't make me regret it," he added as he saw Suigetsu and Karin already starting to get into an argument over something he thought was stupid.

**NS**

Sasuke sat in his room at Kakashi's house that night. The walls were blank, his things were still packed in boxes, and none of it made him feel as if he were at home. _'Is this where I'll live from now on?'_ he wondered as he looked around. _'I miss my old room,' _he continued to think. _'I miss Itachi,' _he added as an after thought. He looked down at his backpack, knowing he should do his homework and wishing that Itachi would be around if he needed help. _'I just wish none of this had ever happened,' _he frowned. He curled up on his new bed and closed his eyes, _'Why couldn't we have just be a normal family?'_

**TBC…?**

**The next chapter is another added chapter…you'll see a little bit of Sasuke in high school, including Sasuke's first boyfriend **


	4. Fifteen

**This is another added chapter…it shows Sasuke's life in high school **

**This was inspired by the Taylor Swift song Fifteen**

**The next few chapters are already written and just need to be edited to fit what has changed in the story so I figured I'd post this before editing this chapter…since it took me a while to post this chapter maybe I'll post another after I finish it, the more reviews I get the more likely I'll be to post quickly…if you're reading let me know… **

**Anyway, as always I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**Chapter 4: Fifteen **

**Seven Years Later**

Sasuke wasn't sure how he felt about high school. It wasn't as if he hated it, but he didn't exactly like it either. The school part wasn't bad; he could easily learn new things quickly. It was his peers that were the problem. He could easily ignore most people, but he didn't understand why he felt so different from other guys his age. Most guys his age were attracted to girls, but for him they just annoyed him. None of them were able to understand why he didn't take any girls up on their offer, most thought that he was either an asshole or just playing hard to get. The fact was that he just wasn't attracted to them.

Around that time Suigetsu and Karin were getting closer. It was true that they still fought, but they also flirted and annoyed Sasuke even more. One day Suigetsu finally confronted him about it, "You seem more annoyed with us than usual."

"I am," Sasuke replied, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Suigetsu just looked at him, expecting an explanation. "You guys are annoying, it seems like every conversation ends up with you two flirting," he explained, annoyance clear in his voice.

Suigetsu's eyes widened, "Do you _like_ Karin?" His voice was full of surprise and slight anger. He didn't want a girl to come between them, but he felt that Sasuke should back off. The dark haired teen had plenty of chances to date Karin and didn't take the opportunity.

"Ew, no," Sasuke replied as if it were impossible. He sighed as he thought about the reason it annoyed him. "I'm just," he started, trying to figure out a way to word it his thoughts. "I'm confused," he confessed.

"You're _gay_?" he asked loudly. In fact he was so loud that many other people around them could hear. Sasuke closed his eyes, knowing that the rumors would start to spread around campus. "You don't like me right?" he quickly asked. "Because that would be really awkward."

Sasuke just looked at him, even more annoyed than he was before. "Why don't you just tell everyone," he hissed as he looked around and saw everyone staring. "To answer your question, no I don't like you," he told him. "I can hardly stand you as a friend let alone like you like that," he added, emphasizing his point.

"Gee thanks," Suigetsu huffed, his ego a little bruised. "But I don't get why that would make you annoyed," he said, slightly confused. The light haired man could feel people staring at them, especially girls. He felt as if they looked like they wanted to kill him so he loudly said, "Don't worry I'm not the guy he likes." The statement made the girls look away and instead made Sasuke glare at him.

"You're a moron," he stated. Suigetsu just shrugged, knowing that the words had no real malice behind them. He just looked at him, expecting Sasuke to continue their conversation. After a moment of silence Sasuke finally mumbled, "You guys remind me that I'm _different_." He had just wanted a normal life, but it seemed that nothing about his life could be normal. The Uchiha was just happy that his friend didn't abandon him after learning the truth, even if he didn't let it show.

**NS**

It had been a little over a week since his and Suigetsu's talk and everyone had heard the news that Sasuke was gay. Most girls didn't want to believe it and thought he only said that to get some of the girls to back off. However, some of the guys looked at him differently too. "Hey Sasuke," his lab partner, Kyuubi, smiled as he sat down. He was a bubbly person, though everyone knew not to get him mad. "Guess what I heard," he grinned while putting his backpack down.

Sasuke didn't like to encourage him by guessing. The man already talked enough; he didn't need to make him think he should talk more. He looked at the redhead with a bored expression, "What?"

"You're no fun, you're not even going to guess?" Kyuubi whined. He knew that Sasuke wouldn't guess, but it was still fun to annoy the other teen. He and Sasuke had become somewhat friends and so he felt that he could joke around with him. "A little birdie told me that Yukio has a crush on you," he grinned as he saw Sasuke's reaction.

"Shut up moron," Sasuke replied, though a faint blush spread across his cheeks. It had been obvious to anyone that really knew Sasuke that he'd had a small crush on Yukio. Sasuke always thought that the other teen was straight so he didn't bother to get his hopes up. "Stop being an asshole," he ordered, trying to continue with his bored tone.

"I'm serious," Kyuubi said, going into gossip mode. "Look, he's staring at you," the redhead grinned. Sasuke turned toward the mentioned teen's seat and fought a blush when he saw that Yukio was staring at him.

When the other teen smiled at him, Sasuke couldn't help himself from returning the smile. The boy was Sasuke's ideal image of what the perfect guy should look like. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and the best smile. When he realized that he had started to stare he quickly turned around. "Moron," he said again, causing Kyuubi to grin. "I don't even think he's gay, or did you miss the girl hanging off of his arm?" he pointed out, trying to remember not to get his hopes up.

"It's obvious that he's not that into her, after all he's staring at you," Kyuubi retorted. "She's just trying to act cooler than she actually is," he laughed, making a small chuckle escape Sasuke's lips.

**NS**

Sasuke soon learned that Kyuubi was right when a couple of weeks after the conversation Yukio asked him out. He was happy and everyone at school quickly heard the news. The problem wasn't school or Kakashi learning about his orientation and the fact that he had a boyfriend, the problem was that he was trying to make the decision of whether he should tell his brother.

"Is something troubling you Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. He had tried to learn how to be a parental figure, but found that he often failed. He couldn't help but to tease the young boy on a regular basis. It probably didn't help that he'd often have his boyfriend over, after all Sasuke wasn't dumb, he knew what was going on in Kakashi's bedroom each night. It reminded him that he probably wasn't the best choice for guardian.

"Nothing," Sasuke mumbled, guarded as usual. Kakashi frowned, wishing that he could make the boy smile and talk like he used to, but he knew that it wasn't possible. It was moments like that where he wished Iruka were there, he was always better at being a parental figure.

"Is this about the boyfriend?" he asked as he sat down. "Don't tell me that you guys are already having a lover's quarrel," he smirked, making the Uchiha give him a nasty look. Kakashi just chuckled, happy that he at least got a reaction from the boy. "Is this about Itachi?" he asked, knowing that most things were about Itachi. The boy was getting a little predictable.

Sasuke sighed, knowing that it was he wasn't going to get the older man away unless he told him. "How am I going to tell Itachi that I'm gay?" he asked, frowning about the subject. He swallowed the lump that he felt forming, "Father always said that being gay was horrible." No one else but him, Kakashi, and his few friends knew that Sasuke went to visit his brother every Friday. Not even Yukio knew.

It was Kakashi's turn to frown; he felt his heart break a little for the poor boy. He knew that Sasuke had taken many of his father's words as the truth. It was as if he thought that everyone was going to hurt him for things that his father thought were bad. "I think Itachi is more understanding than that," he told the boy. "Your father was a bad influence, you shouldn't want to be anything like him," he said, though he knew that most boys looked to their father for an example of how they should act.

Sasuke nodded, still conflicted. He didn't say anything as he got up and walked away toward his room. Kakashi hoped that he had gotten through to him, however the look on the boy's face told him that he probably hadn't.

**NS**

Love, it was such a simple word with such a big meaning. When a couple of months after they started dating Yukio said that he loved him, Sasuke believed him. In fact, he believed him enough to let his guard down and let Yukio closer. Though he still didn't tell him about his brother, he gave everything to him: both his heart and his virginity. It was only a couple of weeks after the night that they had sex when Yukio broke up with him.

Sasuke felt his heart break and his walls build up even further. He could hear Yukio brag about how he "popped Sasuke's cherry" all the while having his arm around his new boy toy. Sasuke couldn't help but feel stupid. Part of him was happy that he hadn't told Yukio about his brother, or his brother about Yukio, but the other part of him was mad that he let himself fall for Yukio's charm.

Sasuke soon became more distant and cold toward everyone, excluding his brother. However even his brother could tell the difference. One Friday Itachi finally confronted him about it, "What's wrong?" He watched his brother tense as he continued, "You seemed happy there fore a little while, what changed?"

"I was with someone," he told him, not sure if he wanted to admit that the person was a boy. He started to stare down at his hands as he said, "I was dumped." He felt like an idiot as he told his brother and soon forgot exactly whom he was talking to as he said, "I believed him and he just broke my heart."

"Him?" Itachi questioned. He had always had a feeling that Sasuke was gay. The boy never talked about girls unless his voice was filled with annoyance. He complained about his fan club, where most boys his age would gloat.

"I," he started. "Uh, well," he couldn't find the right words. Itachi just smirked at him, finding it fun to leave his brother speechless. "Do you hate me?" he asked as he looked down at his hands once again. He didn't want to see the hate in his brother's eyes.

"Sasuke," Itachi frowned. It saddened him that the boy would think something such as sexual orientation would make Sasuke think he'd hate him. "I could never hate you," he told him, making sure the seriousness of the statement was conveyed in his voice. "And trust me, if I weren't already in jail I'd end up here anyway for killing the boy that broke your heart," he told him, making the younger Uchiha smile a little.

"Thanks Itachi," he said with a small smile. At fifteen years old it was easy to believe someone when they said they loved you, but he promised himself that he'd never fall for it again. His walls would never come down so easily again, if anything Yukio had made his walls stronger.

**TBC…?**

**Kyuubi and Yukio will be in later chapters…If you read the previous story then you know that I changed that Itachi didn't know about the fact that Sasuke's gay…I think it'll make the story better if he can talk to him about Naruto…let me know, is it a good change? As always, let me know what you think of the chapter :)**

**I know this chapter is a little rushed, but it's really just to provide some background information…the real story will start in the next chapter when it shows the characters starting college...**


	5. Fix Me

**An anonymous review for last chapter asked who Yukio is and to answer the question he is an original character…some people thought that Kyuubi would be Sasuke's first boyfriend after reading the first half and that was intentional…**

**Another anonymous reviewer from last chapter, Ttrace, brought up how Mikoto is a horrible mother, this will be addressed in a later chapter(s)…**

**This chapter title is inspired by a 10 years song**

**Really this is where the true story begins, the first 4 chapters were to give Sasuke's background so that readers could really understand why acts the way he does…I know that I didn't give information about Naruto's past, but if need be it'll be told in later chapters…I almost added a chapter to the story that gave a short overview of Naruto's life but I just felt that it interrupted the flow of the story and I just didn't like it…**

**As always I own nothing enjoy and please review**

**Chapter 5: Fix Me**

**Three Years Later**

Sasuke took a deep breath as he looked at the large building. _'Why did I decide to stay in the dorms?' _he asked himself. It wasn't as if he were going to college out of state or even hours away from his home. He stayed close for one very simple reason: his brother. He ran his hand through his black hair, _'Which will be the better of two evils Kakashi or my roommate?'_ Kakashi had never been ready to be a father, though he did his best, it was evident that he wasn't ready to change his ways entirely. He had made time to try to give Sasuke a somewhat normal childhood, but often times his love life took precedence. In other words, it was stay with a roommate or listen to Kakashi and his boyfriend.

He decided not to think about it any longer as he started to walk towards his dorm room. He looked at the sheet of paper containing his room number. _'West Hall 345,'_ he read to himself once again, memorizing the number. He shoved the paper back in the pocket that he knew wasn't containing the room key as he made his way to the third floor.

When he finally made it to his dorm he hesitated to open the door. _'What the hell?' _he thought as he already heard voices from the other side of the door. The voices were loud and that was probably the last thing he wanted in a roommate. _'Just shoot me now,' _he sighed as he pulled out his key and opened the door.

The dark haired man saw two guys, one blond and one brunet, sitting and talking loudly. Sasuke was starting to think that he should have just stayed with Kakashi. They were laughing about something, but Sasuke had missed what it was about. Once he walked in, the talking stopped and all of their attention turned toward the young Uchiha.

"You must be my roommate," the blond said excitedly. When he realized that Sasuke was looking at him as if he were crazy, he said, "This is my friend Kiba. Oh, and I'm Naruto." The blond was hyperactive and Sasuke was already wondering if he had some form of ADD.

"Right," was all he said, he then put his things down on the bed the two weren't sitting on. He was happy that it wasn't by the window, but that was the only good thing about the room. Overall, the room was small and he could already tell that his roommate was going to be loud.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked. Usually he'd write the guy off as a bastard, however, he couldn't help but be physically attracted to him. Anyone with eyes would be able to see that the dark haired man was sex on legs, even though he wasn't even trying. However, the fact that he didn't even try was probably the best part.

"Sasuke," he answered, as he looked at the blond, surprised that the blond hadn't already known that. Most people knew by his looks alone that he was the youngest Uchiha. He was hesitant about getting close to people and Sasuke didn't plan on changing that anytime soon. His roommate wasn't going to turn into his friend; he'd already decided that before meeting him.

"Okay, well I'm going to go," Kiba said quickly, already feeling awkward. "You're still coming tonight, right?" he asked Naruto, who just nodded. "Cool see you then," the brunet quickly walked out of the room. He realized that Naruto didn't realize who Sasuke was and thought, _'This is going to be interesting.'_

The small room quickly filled with silence once the door closed. Naruto wanted to talk to Sasuke, but had no idea what to say. "So," he started awkwardly. "Is this your first semester?" he asked. He guessed it was since from what he could tell by his friends that were staying in the dorms, the school seemed to pair first years together.

Sasuke nodded, but didn't answer verbally. He started to unpack his things, silently. He wasn't interested in getting to know people, they always asked too many questions when he did. He decided that rather than trying to make friends with his new roommate, he'd instead text one of the few friends that he already had. _**'West hall 345 my roommate is annoying' **_he sent to his best friend, Suigetsu, as he sat on his bed. He knew by that single text that if Suigetsu were already on campus, he would be there in a matter of minutes. His guess was confirmed when he received the reply, _**'Can't wait to meet him, see you in a few.'**_

When the dark haired man looked up he realized that the blond was still talking, attempting to make conversation even though he thought that he made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to talk. Sasuke put on his best glare, trying to scare the blond away, but it didn't even seem to faze him. "Are you always this annoying?" he asked, his voice filled with venom.

Naruto shut his mouth, but only for a second. "Are you always this much of a bastard?" he responded angrily. "I just try to be nice and this is the reaction I receive," Naruto sighed in defeat. He was starting to get annoyed that his roommate didn't respond to _any _of what he thought were good attempts at making conversation. It was like the man had no people skills whatsoever.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted with a shrug. He'd once again started to ignore the other man. _**'What they say about blondes appears to be true, but I guess I already knew that,'**_he then sent before looking back up at the blond. _'This should be fun; I don't even think knows my last name. What a moron,' _he thought with a smirk as he lied back on his bed.

"I'll take that as a yes," the blond huffed. "Asshole," he tried to mutter under his breath, but he knew by the look on his face that Sasuke had heard him. "Are you nice to anyone?" he then asked, trying to get him to talk in any way he could.

"Yes, just not morons," the man answered. He was just hoping to get the blond to leave, though he didn't want to admit the main reason why. He didn't care if he were being mean; in fact, that was his goal. He didn't want to make friends and having an attitude was one way to ensure that he wouldn't be making any new friends any time soon.

Naruto gave an annoyed grunt, "Whatever, I'm leaving." Sasuke just shrugged, which only made him angrier. "Asshole," he repeated again, louder than the last time, as he grabbed his jacket and wallet. _'People always like me,'_ he thought, frustrated. _'How can he hate me so quickly?' _he wondered, trying to think of a way to make Sasuke at least give him a chance. He walked out of the room, not bothering to lock the door since Sasuke was in the room he didn't see any reason to. He turned around and promptly ran into a pale man, with equally light hair. "Sorry," he muttered, still bothered by the Sasuke situation.

The man looked at the room that he had just walked out of, "So you're the roommate." He saw Naruto's eyes widen and he explained, "I'm Suigetsu, Sasuke's friend." He surprised the blond by holding out his hand to shake. The light haired man had a smug look on his face as he scanned Naruto, understanding why Sasuke had a problem with him.

Naruto shook the pale man's hand, "I'm Naruto." He was a bit confused as to how normal Suigetsu appeared, if one didn't take his odd appearance into consideration. "I can't believe the bastard has a friend," he accidently said. Naruto didn't have the best filter when it came to what he thought and what he said, which often got him into trouble.

Suigetsu just laughed it off, "Sasuke's a little socially inept, don't take anything he says to heart." Naruto just looked at him with what seemed to be a slightly confused stare, which made Suigetsu think, _'This guy might be as dumb as Sasuke said.' _He sighed, "He's a little damaged, it doesn't help his ability to make friends."

"I know what socially inept means," Naruto said defensively. "I'm not stupid," he sulked. He hated when people thought he was stupid just because of his blond hair and his inability to concentrate on things for very long. "Did Sasuke tell you that I'm stupid?" he asked. "Because I'm really not, I just tend to change subjects a lot, which may come off as dumb to some people," he tried to explain himself. He wasn't sure what else he could have done to make Sasuke think that he's stupid, so he figured he thought his rambling made him an idiot.

"Right," Suigetsu said teasingly. _'I understand why he annoys Sasuke,' _he thought as he looked at the talkative man. _'Though on the other hand I'm sure that Sasuke doesn't find him as annoying as he says,' _he thought as he took in the man's appearance. "I'm sure I'll see you around, but I have to go," he said with a chuckle. He just walked right into the room, knowing that Sasuke was expecting him.

'_Damn it, now they both think I'm an idiot,' _he thought with a sigh. _'I'll just have to fix that later,' _he smiled, knowing that one way or another he'd make Sasuke become his friend. His persistence always paid off, this time would be no different.

**NS**

Suigetsu walked into the room to find Sasuke staring up at the ceiling. He had a feeling that he knew why Sasuke was being more of a bastard than normal, or more the reasons why. "You're attracted to him," he smirked. "At least physically," he teased as he sat on what he guessed was Naruto's bed.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke sat up quickly. "What the hell would make you think that?" he asked with a lethal tone. "Moron is _not _my type and he is _clearly _a moron," the dark haired man glared. His form of denial was only confirming Suigetsu's suspicions.

"I said _physically_," Suigetsu emphasized. "Don't try to deny it," he said, knowing Sasuke all too well. "Blonde hair, blue eyes, and well built. He's _completely _your type," Suigetsu continued as he kicked off his shoes. "And that's the problem," he added, looking Sasuke directly in the eyes. "That's why you're trying to hate him," Suigetsu deduced.

"You're a moron," Sasuke muttered as he looked away. "I am not attracted to him," he said, wishing the conversation would just end. He hated any conversations that dealt with anything even remotely regarding his dating life, especially about his "type" as Suigetsu stated.

"The guy looks remarkably like Yukio," the light haired man pointed out. He knew that the blond man was still a touchy subject for Sasuke, but it was still a valid point. He saw Sasuke stiffen and he then asked, "Is that why you hate him so much?" He knew Sasuke generally disliked people and tended to keep his distance, but normally he was just indifferent toward them.

"I don't _hate _him," Sasuke huffed. "He just highly annoys me," he added. He saw that Suigetsu was unconvinced and said, "It has nothing to do with the fact that he looks like that lying son of a bitch." Sasuke then realized that his choice of words probably didn't help his case. However he didn't care and he wasn't sure why he continued the conversation.

"Believe whatever you want to believe," Suigetsu shrugged, seeing Sasuke was getting agitated because of the conversation. "But," he started again, causing Sasuke to let out an annoyed groan. "You know your brother wouldn't be happy with the fact that you aren't even trying to make friends," he pointed out with complete seriousness.

"Itachi," he paused, closing his eyes for a moment. "Itachi just thinks that I'm broken because of everything that has happened. But I'm not, I don't need him trying to fix me," he said slightly angrily, as he opened his eyes once again. "There's nothing wrong with me," he added as he looked down, his tone suddenly changing to one of sadness. He hated to think about what happened in the past and most of all he hated people acting as if he needed to be fixed. It was as if people thought that his life had broke him and that he was something they could fix.

"Are you sure about that?" Suigetsu questioned. When the other man didn't answer, Suigetsu continued by saying, "You get like this every year around this time. If it's still affecting you like this, I'd say you're somewhat broken, Sasuke." He knew it wasn't what Sasuke wanted to hear, but he needed to hear it. If he never got over what happened all of those years ago then he'd never be able to move on with his life.

"Shut up," he muttered. "Itachi doesn't need your help, you're supposed to be my friend, not his cohort," he continued slightly defensively. His eyes were filled with a mixture of emotions, the main one being sadness.

"The anniversary is tomorrow," he reminded Sasuke. "What are you going to do this year?" he asked, concerned about his friend's mental health. He hoped that the mix of the anniversary of the "incident" mixed with whom his roommate looked like wouldn't send him over the edge. "You should do something to take your mind off of it," he tried. "We could go to the movies or something," he suggested. Each year he tried to get Sasuke to not think about what had happened, and each year he seemed to fail.

"No thank you," Sasuke said. "Tomorrow I just want to be alone," he frowned. "And right now I _really_ don't want to talk about it," he added. Sasuke always got moody when the subject of his father's death and brother's imprisonment came up and Suigetsu knew that there was no way to get through to him in those moments.

"Right, sorry," Suigetsu nodded. "Let's go see what Juugo and Karin are up to, maybe they can cheer you up," he said as he started to put his shoes back on. Suigetsu knew that if he didn't change the subject then Sasuke would shut down and send him away. The dark haired man had many defense mechanisms and used them whenever he felt uncomfortable.

"I doubt it," Sasuke mumbled as he sat up, putting his shoes on as well. "You just want to see your girlfriend," he rolled his eyes, knowing his suggestion had nothing to do with Suigetsu wanting to cheer him up. "But whatever," he sighed. He knew that the rest of the night would be similar to every other night. Suigetsu and Karin would either end up acting like no one else was in the room or they would fight and try to involve one of them into it to help them. Juugo would most likely ignore them, rather observing them and Sasuke would try to ignore them all.

His guess was right. They ended up going to a movie, during which Suigetsu and Karin made out the entire time. The two then argued about what happened in the movie, to which Sasuke pointed out that neither of them were really watching the movie. Lastly, Juugo stayed silent throughout the entire thing. The monotony was one of the things that made Sasuke feel comfortable with his friends. He liked when things were predictable.

**TBC….**

**I think the song Fix Me really fits for Sasuke in this story as far as to how he feels…if you've never heard the song before I really recommend it – I absolutely love the singer's voice**


	6. Airplanes

**Title of this chapter is inspired by the song Airplanes by B.O.B featuring Haley Williams – I think that's her name, it's the girl from Paramore…**

**I really did mean to post this earlier…I'll try to get the next one posted tomorrow…**

**As always I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**Chapter 6: Airplanes**

It was the anniversary of the day that changed his life forever, the day his father died, the day his mother disappeared, and the day that Itachi confessed to something he didn't do. _'Can't believe it's been ten years,' _Sasuke thought as he threw on a jacket. It was a chilly day and he knew that where he was going would be cold. He ignored the confused look on his roommate's face, knowing he was probably wondering where he was going so early in the morning.

"You don't have class today, where are you going?" Naruto asked, knowing the Uchiha didn't go out much. He got frustrated when all he received was silence. The only reason he was awake was because of the noise Sasuke was making that morning while he got ready to go wherever he was going. _'Seriously, he can't just answer one question?' _Naruto wondered with a frown. "Are you going to see your friend? What was his name, Suigetsu?" Naruto asked, trying anything to start a conversation with the dark haired man.

"No," was all he said as he walked out of the door, leaving Naruto curious. Sasuke felt that it was none of the blonde's business as to where he went and why. He just wanted to be alone and the last thing that he felt he needed was to deal with a blond idiot.

He made his way toward the coffee shop located on campus. He was going to a place he only went to on the anniversary of that day. The young Uchiha knew that if he were going to deal with the day, he needed coffee.

**NS**

When Suigetsu woke up that morning he knew that he had to go to Sasuke before the man tortured himself and went somewhere that reminded him of that day. He looked at the clock, _'Eight o'clock.' _He let out a sigh as he continued to think, _'He probably isn't in his room any more.' _He knew that Sasuke found it difficult to sleep the night before the anniversary and tended to wake up early because even when he got to sleep, he didn't stay asleep very long. _'I wonder where he's going this time,' _he thought as he got up and threw on whatever clean clothes he could find in his closet.

Suigetsu quickly made his way toward Sasuke's room, hoping to catch him before he was able to disappear for the day. He knocked on the door to be greeted by a tired looking blond. "Is Sasuke here?" Suigetsu asked, knowing that by the look he was receiving Naruto just wanted him to explain why he was there.

"Nope," the blond answered. "He wouldn't tell me where he was going either," he added, as if anticipating the next question. "Trust me, I did try to find out. He ignored me, as usual," Naruto frowned. The blond annoyance was evident in his voice, not only had he been woken up but he was also completely out of the loop.

Suigetsu nodded, "Thanks anyway." He walked away, _'Damn it Sasuke, where would you go?' _He started to think of the places the Uchiha usually went on that day. _'Might as well just check them all, but where to start?' _he wondered as he started to make his way out of the dorms. He could hear Naruto yelling at him for some better explanation for why the man looked so worried, but he ignored it, knowing that if Sasuke wanted him to know then he'd tell him.

**NS**

Sasuke walked to the one place he felt most vulnerable: his father's grave. No matter how old he got, even in his death, his father made him feel weak. Every time he thought of his father it would remind him of how horrible of a man his father was. He sat in front of the grave, silently looking at the tombstone for a while. He always felt a little crazy when he went to his father's grave because he always talked to his father while he was there. He finally started to speak after a few minutes, "I always feel weird coming to see you." He looked down as he continued, "It's not like you were ever really a father to me." He started to play with the grass in front of him, wanting anything to take his mind off of it. "I wish that I could ask you why you did it," he admitted. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't comprehend what would make his father abuse his entire family. "Did it make you feel better to take all of your frustrations out on us?" he asked, though he knew that he wouldn't get an answer. All he wanted was to understand why everything happened, but he knew that he never would.

Sasuke lied down on the grass, closing his eyes a moment to calm himself down. His heart was racing a little as he remembered the day so vividly in his mind. "Why couldn't we just have been a normal family?" he asked to no one in particular. "I just wish that it never happened," he said, his eyes still closed. "I wish that everything was different. That you didn't abuse us, that mother never pulled the trigger, and most of all I wish that Itachi never confessed," he said. The sound of an airplane flying above him caused him to open his eyes, "If only wishes on airplanes came true."

"That'd be awesome, wouldn't it?" a voice behind him said, startling the young Uchiha. Sasuke sat up and turned to see Suigetsu standing behind him. "Have you been here all day?" the other man asked, hoping that the answer was no.

Sasuke held up his coffee, "No, I got coffee this morning." Suigetsu just frowned at him and Sasuke said, "I really haven't been here that long." He let out a sigh as he said, "I should have known that you'd come find me." Every year Suigetsu searched for him in attempt to make him do something else. He knew that he was predictable, he only went a number of places on that particular day, and so he wasn't that difficult to find.

"This was actually the first place I looked," Suigetsu replied as he sat next to the dark haired man. "You're getting a little predictable," he smiled, trying to get the Uchiha to do the same. When he saw that it wasn't working, he tried a different tactic, "Do you really think it's healthy to visit his grave?" He never understood why Sasuke would go to the gravesite of the one person that hurt him the most in his life.

"Probably not," Sasuke shrugged. "But I need to find some way to get some closure," he added as he looked down. He knew that it probably wasn't the best thing for him to do, but that was why it was his one place that he didn't go to very often.

Suigetsu just nodded, "I get it." He looked at him and said, "But that doesn't mean that you should be alone." He knew that it wasn't a day to mess with Sasuke, that he shouldn't do anything that may make the man feel worse. Instead, he just tried to be the best friend that he could, it was the only thing that he could do on that particular day. Sasuke didn't say anything; at that point they both knew that the conversation was over. Sasuke just wanted silence and Suigetsu knew that he couldn't make the man leave, but he could be there for him if he needed him.

**NS**

Naruto sat in Kiba's room, talking with the brunet. "I think my roommate is a freak," the blond said with a frustrated sigh. "I mean the guy doesn't talk to me unless it's a short sentence," he continued. "It's like he hates me without even knowing me," he was pacing and complaining as he had been doing for the past ten minutes. He was still trying to figure out how a person could him in such a short amount of time.

"Just because someone doesn't like you doesn't mean they're a freak," Kiba laughed. Before Naruto could argue, Kiba just said, "Naruto just be your persistent self, I'm sure he'll come around eventually." He wasn't sure if it were true, but he knew it'd be entertaining to watch the blonde's attempts at making friends.

"How? The guy won't talk to me, how can I get him to come around?" the blond said doubtfully. He stopped pacing and crossed his arms across his chest, "I'd thought that you'd agree with me, after all he doesn't like you either."

"I really couldn't give a rats ass whether he likes me or not," Kiba said with a shrug. "The guy is a bastard, as you so often say, why would I care if he likes me?" he asked, wishing the conversation about Sasuke would just end. "How about you complain to him because I'm sick of talking about him. I'd really rather talk about _anything_ but him," he said, obviously annoyed. He had been friends with Naruto long enough to know that once the blond focused in on a subject he wouldn't just let it go and accept that he couldn't make it change.

"Okay I get it, I won't talk about Sasuke anymore," Naruto rolled his eyes. "It's not like I was talking about him _that _much," he added as he sat down at Kiba's desk.

"Trust me, yes you were," Kiba replied still annoyed. He moved as he dodged the pen Naruto threw at him. "Don't take it out on me, it's not my fault you're getting obsessed with him," Kiba chuckled. He loved to mess with the blond, especially when it got as much of a reaction out of him as Sasuke did. Kiba understood why Naruto was mad; it brought thoughts of his early childhood back. Before they became friends Naruto was an outcast, but he wasn't going to bring that fact into the conversation. He knew it was true that once people got to know the blond, they tended to like him and so he wasn't going to argue.

"I'm not obsessed," Naruto huffed. "I've just never had someone hate me so much so soon," he argued. "You know what I agree, let's just change the subject," the blond quickly said, making Kiba laugh once again. He was done thinking about his roommate; thinking about him only frustrated him in the end and it just wasn't worth it.

**NS**

Naruto got back to his dorm relatively late. When he walked into his room he saw Sasuke staring up at the ceiling, obviously thinking about something. It was at that moment that Naruto found himself wishing he could read minds, _'I doubt he'll tell me anything, but it's worth a try.' _He started to look through his drawer for something to wear, "So where were you today?" He looked over at the dark haired man, knowing that he shouldn't expect an answer. He was starting to realize that the man was more guarded than any government building.

"None of your business," he answered, not looking directly at him. He had a mixture of sadness and anger showing in his eyes. The rest of his face looked indifferent, but his eyes showed something completely different. His eyes showed that he actually did have some feelings.

"Okay," Naruto said, finding himself once again frustrated. "Always great talking to you," he said sarcastically as he made his way to the bathroom connected to their room. He shut the door and turned on the shower. _'Bastard,' _he thought. _'Well, whether he knows it or not, by the end of the semester he will be my friend,'_ Naruto thought, never being one to back down from a challenge and at that point he saw Sasuke as a challenge. He was a challenge and Naruto felt he was only going to beat it was if he got the dark haired man to be his friend.

**TBC…?**

**Kind of a short chapter – sorry, but most people that read my stories should be used to me having short chapters since I always do :)**

**Anyway, let me know what you think…Good? Bad?**


	7. The Lazy Song

**Song of inspiration for this story: The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars**

**In this story I'm making the legal drinking age 18, it is in some countries so I figure that it works :)**

**Is anyone even reading this, besides the three people that reviewed the last two chapters…I feel bad for abandoning the story, but I may post slower if I keep getting this few of reviews…I'll complete the story but other ideas might take precedence…**

**Anyway, as always I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**Chapter 7: The Lazy Song**

Friday afternoon Naruto sat in front of the TV, flipping through the channels and eating junk food. He was laying around in just his boxers, hot because the heat was on in the dorms to combat the cold outside. He saw nothing wrong with laying around half naked, watching television. He was alone in the dorm room; he figured it was perfectly acceptable. Even if he weren't, his roommate was a guy; it wasn't like he was showing anything off that should make him uncomfortable. It wasn't any worse than if he were at the pool, wearing swim trunks.

He heard the door open, pulling him away from the TV. "Hey Sasuke," he smiled before going back to watching TV. He didn't notice the look on Sasuke's face as he did so. "How was class?" he asked.

When he got no response he looked back at Sasuke. The man was staring at him, though Naruto was proud of his body so he didn't care. He felt that his hot roommate could look all he wanted; it just made him feel more confident. "What's wrong?" he asked with a smile. He loved getting any kind of reaction out of the man, mainly because it was difficult to do.

Sasuke was looking at him, half disgusted and half attracted to the other man. He couldn't help but stare at Naruto's tan, well-toned chest. He snapped himself out of the daze that Naruto's body seemed to put him in, "Stop being a pig and put some clothes on." He turned away from Naruto and walked over to his bed.

"It's hot in here," Naruto said. "I mean it's just like if I were wearing swim trunks," he argued, grabbing some more chips out of the bag. "Want some?" he asked, holding out the bag toward Sasuke.

"What I want is for you to put some clothes on," Sasuke said, his voice filled with disgust. "And stop making such a mess," he added as he started to pick up Naruto's clothes that were scattered on the ground. He threw them at the blond, making sure at least one article of clothing would hit the blond in the face.

"Would you rather I just lay here in my birthday suit?" he grinned. He was answered with a pair of jeans being thrown at his head. "Okay, I get it. You don't want to see me and all my sexiness with no clothes on," Naruto said. "But this is my room too, so really you can't tell me what to do," he said, feeling as if he'd won the argument. Sasuke glared at him, making Naruto laugh, "Do you always have to be this stuck up?"

"I don't know do you always have to be this annoying?" Sasuke retorted, getting frustrated with the blond. He didn't want to admit that he did actually enjoy the sight, that'd just make Naruto have an even larger ego. "Just put some fucking clothes on," he said. However, part of him couldn't help but think about how much he did in fact look like his ex-boyfriend.

"I'm sorry I don't have any clothes made specifically for fucking," Naruto replied, knowing he was annoying the dark haired man. "I'm not really in to playing dress up," he said innocently, knowing that he was irritating Sasuke. He knew that getting a reaction out of Sasuke always made the pale man talk to him. When he saw the glare he received from Sasuke he just grinned and said, "Fine, I'll put some clothes on." He got up and started to pick out a new pair of clothes for him to wear. "But only if you come out with me and my friends tonight," he said, holding a pair of jeans in his hand.

Sasuke was silent for a moment. He let himself stare at the blond again, _'Damn it, I can't let him walk around like that or we're going to have some serious problems.'_ He knew that he may not bet attracted to the blond emotionally, but physically was an entirely different story. Physically the other man was just his type, no matter how much he hated to admit that Suigetsu was right. He sighed and said, "I can't tonight."

"Why not?" Naruto asked. He knew that Sasuke always went somewhere on Friday, he was hoping the question would give him the answer as to where he went. "It's Friday night, it's not like you have class tomorrow," he argued. Part of him was hoping that Sasuke would tell him where he went every Friday, but he seriously doubted that it would happen.

"That's none of your business," Sasuke answered. He didn't trust the blond enough to tell him anything about Itachi. He also didn't think that Naruto knew his last name and telling him about it would be a dead giveaway. He liked the fact that Naruto didn't know who he was and it made it so that the blond couldn't ask any questions about the incident.

"Then tomorrow," Naruto said, knowing that Sasuke never went out on Saturdays unless Suigetsu came and dragged him out of the room. "Your friend Suigetsu can come too, we're having a guys night," Naruto added, trying to convince him. He noticed that he wasn't convincing him so he used what he knew would make him say yes, "It's the only way you're going to get me to put my clothes back on. I mean if I really wanted to I could just take the rest of my clothes off."

Sasuke thought about it a moment before he said, "Fine, I'll go." He grabbed a new pair of clothes for himself and started to walk toward the bathroom while saying, "I'll be in the shower, when I'm done you better have some clothes on."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Naruto chuckled. He started to put his clothes back on as he mumbled, "Asshole." He pulled out his phone and text Kiba: **'**_**I'm coming over. I'll see you in ten minutes.'**_He walked out of the door, smiling to himself, _'Tomorrow night is going to be fun.'_

**NS**

Sasuke got to the prison, knowing the whole process that he'd have to go through just to talk to his brother. He sighed as the guard checked him over, making sure he wasn't trying to smuggle anything into his brother. The young Uchiha also had to sign in so that they knew who was there and whom they visited. "Sorry Sasuke, you know its policy," the guard said. Sasuke just nodded. He and the guard had slowly got to know each other over his years of visiting Itachi. The guard knew that Sasuke was a good kid so one day he started talking to him. The guard, Kenji, was an older man. He always wondered why the young Uchiha visited his brother, but never asked. Rather, he just came to expect that Sasuke would be there every Friday.

The young Uchiha sat down across from his brother. It always saddened him when he saw his brother behind the window because it always reminded him of how Itachi took the blame for something he didn't even do. "Hi," he said with a small smile.

"Hello Sasuke," Itachi said. The older Uchiha started the conversation as he always did, "Are you making any new friends?" He wanted Sasuke to be more social. He knew that the other man had trust issues, but he still hoped that eventually Sasuke would make more than three friends.

Sasuke looked down, "I don't know if you could call it that." When he just received silence, he knew that his brother wanted him to explain further. "I have this annoying roommate," he said with a sigh. "He's making me go with him and his friends for a guys night tomorrow," he added. "Naruto's just really annoying and very far from what I'd call a friend," he finished. He wasn't sure why he brought Naruto up, especially when he was being asked about friends, but it somehow just slipped out.

"That sounds like a friend to me," Itachi said with a small smile. "It's good for you to make more friends," he told his brother. "You may think he's annoying and yet you're going out with him and his friends, that doesn't sound like you really hate him," Itachi pointed out. He knew his brother well and he knew that Sasuke wouldn't go somewhere if he didn't want to go.

"He's just a blond moron, not a friend," Sasuke said. He refused to classify Naruto as a friend. If he classified Naruto as a friend it would mean that they'd hang out together and Sasuke didn't want that. He felt that he didn't need any more friends, especially not a blond idiot. "I'm going with him and his friends because he was walking around the room in just his boxers and wouldn't put anything else on unless I agreed to go," Sasuke said, trying to convince his brother that he wasn't Naruto's friend.

"So you're attracted to him?" Itachi grinned, hoping that Sasuke could finally movie on from what his asshole ex had put him through. Sasuke started to deny it causing his brother to say, "But you're at least friends." Again Sasuke started to deny it and so he just smirked at him, "If you say so Sasuke." He couldn't help but think, _'He may not be yet, but he wouldn't have even brought him up if he truly believed that the boy wasn't going to be a friend.'_ Itachi knew that there were many things Sasuke wouldn't talk about, his love life being one. He knew that anything truly important or conflicting would cause Sasuke to speak out, but Naruto hadn't seemed to get to that stage yet. Itachi decided to change the subject, "How are your studies going?"

From there they continued to catch up. Itachi would laugh to himself every time Sasuke slipped up and brought Naruto into the conversation, which convinced Itachi more that his brother was attracted to the blond. About an hour later, Sasuke realized how late it was getting, "I should get back to my dorm; I have kind of a long drive." Itachi nodded and Sasuke said, "I'll see you next week."

Itachi smiled at his brother, "Yeah, I'll see you next week." As he watched his brother walk away, he was sure that by the next time they talked Sasuke would be friends with Naruto. _'It's good to see him becoming more social,' _Itachi thought as a guard came to lead him back to his cell. _'Perhaps he'll have more than three friends the next time I see him,' _Itachi thought, hoping that would be the case.

**NS**

Meanwhile, Naruto sat at a bar with his friends Kiba, Shino, Gaara, Neji, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Temari, Choji, Lee, and Hinata. He was feeling on top of the world in that moment. He'd had a few drinks in him and was surrounded by good friends. "Guess what," he said to Kiba with a smile on his face.

"You told Sasuke that you're hot for him," Kiba replied pleased with himself for thinking of such a response. He knew it would get the blond riled up, which he found highly entertaining. "Is he hot for you too?" he asked, with a laugh as Naruto punched him on the arm.

"I'm not _hot_ for him," Naruto replied. "I did, however, get him to agree to go out with us tomorrow," he grinned. "I can't wait to see how he acts when we get a few drinks in him," Naruto said with a laugh. "Think he is as stuck up when he's drunk as he is sober?" he asked. He was very pleased with himself that he'd managed to get Sasuke to come out with them. The man hardly ever seemed to go out and never came back drunk when he did, but Naruto was planning on changing that.

"Gee, how did I know this would be a conversation about Sasuke?" Kiba mocked the blond. "Oh wait, I remember now, it's because he's all you ever talk about lately," he rolled his eyes, taking another drink. Before Naruto could answer, Kiba turned to talk to Hinata, successfully ignoring Naruto.

Naruto just watched as nearly all of his friends were in some kind of odd relationship. He saw Sakura trying to ignore Lee's passes, though she secretly liked all of the attention he gave her. He saw Ino and Temari fighting over a satisfied looking Shikamaru. The brunet was smart enough not to interrupt the girls, knowing they'd try to make him date one of them. Instead, he let them fight with each other and enjoy the fact that he had two girls that wanted him. Gaara and Neji talked, though too quiet for him to hear what it was about. He had a feeling the two had some kind of fling going on, but they'd never said anything so he wasn't about to call them out. Kiba and Hinata were flirting like always. Why the two didn't just make it official, Naruto wasn't sure. However, he wasn't sure Hinata even knew that she was flirting with the brunet. She often looked at Naruto, which the blond tried to ignore since he had no feelings whatsoever for the girl. The only two that Naruto noticed weren't hooking up with anyone were Choji and Shino. The two seemed perfectly content just sitting, talking, and eating.

Naruto had a conversation going with Shino and Choji, though he was only truly half paying attention. He didn't add much to the conversation, mostly because he was thinking about the next day and how he was going to drag Sasuke out with his friends. He wasn't sure why he was so excited, he just had a feeling it was going to be a good night. _'Maybe it'll be the night that we actually become friends,' _he thought smiling to himself. He didn't know that Saturday night would turn out to be a _very_ awkward night.

**TBC…**


	8. Porn Star Dancing

**chapter the chapter title is because of song by My Darkest Days, which has the same title – the normal one, not the one featuring Ludacris – it's the same song I just like the one without him better…the song can be kind of demeaning to women so if you don't like then I don't suggest checking the song out…I love the guy's voice so I don't really care**

**As always I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**Chapter 8: Porn Star Dancing **

Sasuke sat at a table outside on campus. He was starting to get annoyed because Suigetsu was teasing him about how he was going to go out with Naruto and his friends. "I'm tagging along for this," Suigetsu grinned, making Sasuke deeply regret his decision to tell the other man. "I can't wait to see where he makes you go," he grinned. "What does a guys night out means to him," he laughed. "This will be great," he laughed. He was mildly impressed that Naruto had gotten him to agree to a guy's night out and he couldn't wait to see what would happen.

"Do you love my misery?" Sasuke asked. "I should have never agreed to this," he shook his head, wondering what he was thinking. "I should have just let him walk around half naked," he sighed, putting his head down on the table.

"Why didn't you?" Suigetsu asked. "Were you afraid you'd jump him if he didn't put some clothes on?" he asked with a grin. "Do you find him that attractive?" he continued to tease Sasuke.

"I _don't_ find him attractive," Sasuke practically hissed. "He's a moron, I don't like morons," the dark haired man glared. In reality he knew that he was physically attracted to Naruto, but he wasn't going to give Suigetsu the satisfaction of being right.

"He doesn't seem that stupid to me," Suigetsu shrugged. "I mean he did trick you into agreeing to come out with him," he pointed out. When he noticed the look that Sasuke was giving him, one that meant he was getting ready to hit the light haired man, he just laughed. "Okay, I get it. I'll stop," Suigetsu said. _'Until tonight,' _he thought with a smile on his face.

"It's okay, tease me all you want," Sasuke said. He had a look in his eyes that told him the dark haired man had some kind of plan. "I'll just go ahead and tell Karin where you're going tonight," he smirked. "You know how much she loves when you go out for a guys night," he added, once again getting the upper hand in the conversation.

It was at that moment that Karin walked over to the table. "You're timing is impeccable," Sasuke said with a pleased smirk. "We were just talking about you," he said. He could see that Suigetsu was getting uncomfortable with where the conversation was going and that was exactly what he wanted; it was pay back.

"Only good things I hope," she said as she sat down next to Suigetsu. She was a bit possessive at times and they both knew that telling her they were going for a guy's night would upset her. Sasuke knew that it would end with her asking Suigetsu a series of questions and not stopping until she got every detail.

"I was just wondering if Suigetsu had told you that he's tagging along for guys night," he said, looking at Suigetsu, obviously pleased with his actions. He saw the glare Suigetsu was giving him, which only made Sasuke happier with himself.

"Oh really?" she said angrily. "Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?" she asked. "And why do you need a guys night?" she asked. "You have a girlfriend, you don't need to go out with the guys to pick up chicks," she argued.

'_Stupid asshole,'_ Suigetsu thought as he looked at Sasuke. He turned his attention toward Karin, "It's just a harmless night out. You know where guys can be guys," he tried to convince her that nothing would happen, when he saw the look on her face he realized that he didn't choose the best words. "Even if they do try to pick up chicks, I'm not going to participate," he said, hoping that would calm her down, though by the looks of it his words still weren't helping.

Sasuke saw the mess he'd gotten his best friend into and knew he had to help him get out of it; after all he wasn't completely heartless. "Don't worry, I'll be there," he said to Karin. "You know I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," he added, making the girl calm down. She just nodded, realizing that she may have overacted a little bit. Suigetsu smiled at his friend, thankful that he helped him get out of trouble.

**NS**

Sasuke was dreading having to go out with Naruto and his friends. The blonde was getting ready and Sasuke couldn't help but think, _'At least he's going to look hot while dragging me to where ever it is that him and his friends are going.' _He didn't want the blond to know that he was checking him out so he quickly turned away.

Naruto turned toward him, "Come on and get ready." He walked over and pulled the dark haired man onto his feet. "You can't wear that," he informed Sasuke with a grin. "And put on a smile, we're going to have fun," he added happily.

Sasuke just grunted as he got up and pulled out whatever clothes he found first. "Whatever," he said, still not smiling. "But I'm not going to like it," he said as he started to change, not even thinking about the fact that Naruto was standing across the room.

Naruto stared at the other man, _'Why does he have to be such a bastard? Such a hot bastard.' _His eyes scanned over Sasuke's body, which just confirmed the fact that he was physically perfect. He couldn't deny that Sasuke was hot and anyone that did was either blind or lying. "I didn't think you'd ever be comfortable to change in front of me. I mean you always seem to change in the bathroom," Naruto smirked once Sasuke was dressed again.

Sasuke looked at the blond, trying to hide his blush. "Shut up moron," he said, turning away from Naruto. He quickly walked into the bathroom, acting like he needed to fix his hair although he'd already done it earlier that day.

'_Hope that's not an indication of how the night's going to go, that was a little awkward,'_ Naruto thought, realizing he probably shouldn't have said anything. "We should probably get going," Naruto said, looking at the clock next to his bed. "I told Kiba we'd meet up with him about ten minutes ago so we're already late," he smiled, trying to change Sasuke's attitude. The other man just nodded.

**NS**

Sasuke's eyebrow started to twitch because of annoyance. When they arrived to their destination he found out it was a strip club and watching girls strip wasn't exactly what he thought of as a good night. Suigetsu stood beside him laughing, knowing that Sasuke was gay. "You could always go upstairs and watch the guys," he said quietly with a smile. He was finding that the night was going to be more entertaining than he first expected.

Sasuke glared at him, "Shut up asshole." He elbowed him in the ribs and continued on to say, "And don't say that." He looked around to see they were somewhat separated from the group, "One of them might hear you." It wasn't that he really cared what Naruto or his friends thought, he just didn't want it to be even more awkward between the two of them.

"That would be pretty awkward," Suigetsu said. He sighed as he started pulling the other man toward Naruto and his friends, "Come on, it won't be that bad."

"I beg to differ," Sasuke grumbled. He soon found himself sitting near the stage with the rest of the guys. Most of them were putting ones in the girl's underwear or throwing them on the stage. One of the girls tried to come near Sasuke, staring at him as if he were her prey. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and looked away from the girl. He was bored and therefore he was drinking a little. Sasuke knew better than to actually get drunk, he tended to do stupid things when he was drunk.

Kiba was sitting between Suigetsu and Naruto. They were all talking and Suigetsu and Kiba were becoming quick friends. However, Suigetsu didn't know what to do when Kiba suddenly said, "I don't think that he's interested in girls." He signaled toward Sasuke, showing exactly whom he was talking about.

"Why do you say that?" Naruto asked. He always figured that Sasuke was straight; after all, the guy didn't act gay. He knew that didn't mean anything though, since he was and he didn't act the least bit gay. He knew that Sasuke sometimes looked at him, but he just figured it was just a glare and that he was just being a bastard.

"He looks bored," Kiba pointed out. He noticed that Suigetsu was pretending not to listen to their conversation, which he also thought was a dead giveaway. "What do you think Suigetsu?" Kiba then asked, pulling him fully into the conversation. If anyone would know the answer it was Suigetsu, it was getting the truth out that would be the hard part.

"I don't know," Suigetsu shrugged. Suigetsu knew that if Sasuke wanted them to know then he'd tell him. Kiba just chuckled, not believing him.

"I'll go talk to him," Naruto said, standing up and walking over Sasuke. Kiba watched him leave, not sure if Naruto wanted to know because it meant he could make a move on Sasuke, or if he really didn't believe him. He figured it was probably a mix of both.

"Hey," Naruto said, sitting next to Sasuke. "What's wrong?" he asked, gaining Sasuke's full attention. "You seem bored," the blond said explaining his question. "What none of these girls are capturing your attention?" he asked. He hoped he'd get an answer out of Sasuke since the dark haired man had a little to drink.

"No girl captures my attention," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes as he got up and walked away. He was making his way toward the exit, not wanting to see Naruto's reaction to what he'd just said. He didn't want to think about how awkward the rest of the semester was going to be after his statement.

Naruto sat there stunned for a moment, _'Wait what?' _He quickly got up, trying to catch up with the other man. When he got outside of the club he saw Sasuke walking in the direction of the school. "Hey Sasuke wait up," Naruto called as he ran to catch up with the dark haired man.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked as he stopped and looked at the blond. He put his hands in his jacket pocket, somewhat nervous as to how the blond was going to react. He didn't look Naruto directly in the eyes; he didn't want to know how he'd react to having a gay roommate.

"So," Naruto started not sure how to start the conversation. "You're gay?" he asked, getting straight to the point. He could feel the tension between them and knew this was probably the most awkward conversation they'd had so far.

"No, I'm asexual," said Sasuke sarcastically. He could tell that the blond actually believed him so he sighed and said, "Yes, you moron, I'm gay." He just shrugged and said, "So what?"

"It's not it's a problem," Naruto quickly said, not wanting Sasuke to think that he was homophobic. "I just didn't expect you to be gay," he tried to explain. "You don't really act gay," he pointed out. "Except maybe your hair, you do take a while to do your hair," the blond thought out loud.

Sasuke just glared at him, "What do you expect everyone to be straight like you?" He really wasn't sure why he was still participating in the conversation. Part of him just wanted to walk away and pretend the conversation, or more the entire night, had never happened.

"I'm not straight," he blurted out, making the conversation more awkward. "I mean I can appreciate the female body," he signaled toward the strip club. "But I don't date them," he added. It was in that moment that he felt he might have made the conversation a little more awkward, if that were possible.

"Oh," was all Sasuke could say, he really wasn't expecting that answer. He decided it was time for the conversation to end and quickly turned and started to walk toward the school once again. He needed to digest what Naruto said, at that point he really didn't know how to react. Naruto was one of the last people he'd expect to be gay, however, after thinking about it the blond did tend to stare at him a little too much. _'Why did I not see that coming?' _he asked himself.

Naruto watched Sasuke walking away, _'Well, that was awkward. What am I supposed to do, act like nothing happened?'_ He let out a sigh, _'Right, just act like nothing happened, that's what I'll do.' _He watched Sasuke's retreating frame, _'And I will not jump him, even if I do know that he's gay.' _He bit his bottom lip, _'A very hot gay bastard. This semester should be interesting.'_

**TBC…**

**I don't know that I like the end of this chapter…let me know what you think…Good? Bad? **


	9. Raining

**I don't know if anyone remembers the story Better In Time…it was on my friend's page how2live and it was a NaruSasu/KibaSasu story…it was really up to the readers in which direction it was going, though it was leaning toward KibaSasu…it was one I was helping her with but she stopped writing it…I was going to finish it, but I never gotten around to it…I'm thinking about working on it when I'm done with this story, so if you've read it and remember it let me know if it's a good idea…**

**Also, I'm working on chapter 12 right now, it has Yukio in it and I think that it's going to be a pretty interesting chapter…remember that if you want to see something happen in the story don't hesitate to say something, I may use suggestions or a form of them…this is also the last week that I'm taking one-shot requests, I start school again starting Tuesday…**

**This chapter is based off of an Art of Dying featuring Adam Gontier from Three Days Grace **

**Chapter 9: Raining**

Sasuke was sleeping rather peacefully. For once in a very long time he had allowed himself to sleep in, but a certain friend of his ruined it. "Sasuke," a voice called, interrupting his sleep. He could hear Naruto laughing as he watched Suigetsu try to wake Sasuke up. "Sasuke," he called a little louder, shaking his friend. "Come on Uch…" his sentence was cut short by Sasuke quickly turning over, tackling his friend to the ground in the process. "What the hell Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked, finding himself pinned to the floor by an angry Uchiha.

"Shut up," he said threateningly. They both knew that Suigetsu was about to call him by his last name, though Suigetsu didn't know why that angered the man so much. He didn't want Naruto to know his last name; he didn't want to be treated differently. When people would first meet him, they'd usually pity him and he didn't want that from Naruto.

"What were you about to insult him or something?" Naruto asked confused as he looked at the scene in front of him. "Or are you really not a morning person? I mean tackling someone seems a little extreme if you're not a morning person," the blond continued asking.

"Both of you, just shut up," Sasuke said angrily as he got off of his best friend. He sat on his bed, knowing that he shouldn't have reacted so recklessly. He knew that it was a little bit of an extreme way to shut someone, but he felt it was necessary.

The tension in the room was broken for a moment when they heard, "Suigetsu, Sasuke." It was the sound of a girl yelling for the two, sounding rather angry. "Open up and let me in," she said, banging on the door. "I'm serious Uchiha, open the door," came from the other side of the door.

Sasuke got up angrily, "It was unlocked you moron." A redheaded girl, Karin, stood in the hallway, "Well how was I supposed to know that?" She pushed her way into the room, "Now tell me what happened last night." The girl was persistent and didn't care if it upset Sasuke. When it came to her boyfriend she wanted details.

Naruto sat on his bed, shocked, by finding out Sasuke's last name. He didn't know how he didn't realize it before; Sasuke had all of the Uchiha features. _'Is that why he's such a bastard?' _Naruto wondered, staring at the other man.

Sasuke hated the way Naruto was staring at him; it was as if he pitied him. The one thing that he liked about his roommate was that he didn't know who he was because it made things easier. "Ask them, I'm going to take a shower," Sasuke said as he practically stormed into the bathroom.

Karin looked at the expression on Naruto's face, "You didn't know his last name, did you?" Naruto just shook his head, signaling that he didn't. Karin nodded, "He must not have wanted you to know." In that moment she felt a little bad, she knew how most people treated him because of what happened all those years ago.

Suigetsu agreed, "That's why he stopped me this morning from doing it." He looked at the blond and said, "Really it'd just be better if you act like you didn't know." He paused before adding, "He really doesn't like to be pitied."

Naruto didn't respond for a moment, but when he did, he said, "Like I'd ever pity that asshole." The shock wore off and Naruto switched to lying position. While what he found out was shocking to him, he knew that Sasuke was just another person and that he couldn't pity the bastard.

"Well, now that that's done," Karin said, switching her attention back to Suigetsu. "Tell me what you boys did last night," she demanded. Suigetsu groaned, hoping that she'd just drop the subject, but he had no such luck.

Naruto looked at the other man, who looked slightly scared. He chucked as he answered for him, "Don't worry, he was a good boy."

"That didn't answer my question," Karin pointed out with her hands on her hips. "So please, one of you tell me what you did," she said. "Other wise I'm going to think the worst," she added.

"We went to a strip club," Naruto told her, seeing that Suigetsu wasn't going to. "It was all looking and no touching," he assured the woman. His words didn't seem to soothe her anger.

"What am I not good enough to look at? You have to go to other girls?" she asked, pulling Suigetsu by the arm out the door. Naruto pitied the man; he knew he never wanted to be on the receiving wrath of any woman.

"It's not like I knew that was where we were going," Suigetsu argued. As they got further down the hall, Naruto couldn't hear their conversation. He just shrugged and closed his eyes, deciding to relax for a while.

**NS**

Sasuke stared in the mirror for a moment. He wanted to break it, but knew that it wouldn't be the best of ideas. At times, he hated looking into the mirror. Everyone told him that he looked like his mother more than his father, however, whenever he looked in the mirror all he could see was the qualities that he had obtained from his father. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He turned on the shower, but instead of getting in, he just sat on the floor, leaning against it for a while. _'I'm nothing like him,'_ he assured himself. He didn't want to be anything like his father. In a way, Sasuke felt like he didn't even know the man that he called father. He didn't remember a time when his father was gentle or nice, it made him wonder what his mother saw in the man.

He ran a hand through his hair, not wanting to think about his father. His father was the cause of why Sasuke was socially inept. He had damaged Sasuke to the point that he was hesitant to let anyone close, he didn't trust people easily, and he always thought that the worst was going to come from any sort of relationship. Sasuke put on a cold exterior, thinking if no one was close to him, then he couldn't get hurt again.

Sasuke stripped of his clothes, needing a shower to wash away all of the thoughts of his father. He stepped in, closing his eyes and letting the water beat down on him. He let all of his thoughts release from his body, wanting it all to go away.

He got out of the shower and realized that he didn't bring any new clothes with him. _'Damn it,' _he thought. _'Hopefully everyone left,'_ he thought, not even convincing himself that the room would be empty. He looked at his clothes, but it made him disgusted at the thought of wearing old clothes after he'd just taken a shower. Instead, he grabbed a towel and dried himself off the best he could before wrapping it around his waist. He grabbed his other clothes before walking out. He didn't pay much attention to the blond as he threw his clothes into the dirty clothes pile and went in search of new ones.

Naruto looked up to see a practically nude Sasuke. The blond bit his lip as he watched water drip off of his hair and onto his back. He followed the water drop with his eyes until it disappeared into the towel. He couldn't help but think how much he'd love to be one of the water drops. He started to stare at Sasuke's ass, thinking, _'His ass almost looks as good in a towel as it does in his skin tight jeans.'_

Sasuke turned around to see Naruto staring at him. He had his clothes in his hand and was ready to go back to the bathroom, but was caught off guard by the other man's eyes roaming his body. "Why are you staring at me?" he asked, for a moment forgetting that his roommate was gay as well.

"Because you have the perfect body," Naruto said, though he didn't really mean to. He was staring at Sasuke's toned chest, making his censor not work as much as he'd like. He stared back up at Sasuke's face and couldn't help but love the way Sasuke looked with his hair weighed down by water.

"Right," Sasuke said awkwardly before returning to the bathroom to get changed. After he got dressed, he leaned on the bathroom counter and thought, _'At least he finds me as attractive as I find him.' _His smirk wore off as he realized what he'd just thought, _'No. Hell no, I do not find him attractive.' _He wasn't sure why he was still denying it considering that he had already admitted it to himself multiple times. Perhaps it was the idea that if he said it enough times than it'd be true.

**NS**

Naruto didn't want to make things more awkward than they were so he left the room while Sasuke was changing and headed over to Kiba's dorm. He knocked repeatedly on the door, "Kiba let me in." He grew impatient as he waited for the door to open. "Thank you," he said as he pushed his way into the room.

"Please do come in," Kiba said sarcastically. "What do you want?" he asked as he sat down on his bed. "You're interrupting a very good show," he added, signaling to his TV.

"I don't care," Naruto said as he grabbed the remote and turned off the television set. He was slightly freaking out because of what he had said. He wasn't sure how Sasuke would react to his words, but he knew it probably wasn't going to be good. "It's so awkward in my room and I think I just made it more awkward," he said, though still didn't sit down. He found that he couldn't sit when his mind was racing.

"Back up," Kiba said as he looked at his friend, confused. "What do you mean _more_ awkward? The brunet asked.

"Well," Naruto said, not knowing where to start. "You see, last night we found out that we're both gay," he started. Kiba just nodded, signaling for him to continue. "It was awkward, I mean one minute we're kind of fighting and then the next it was complete awkward silence," he told him. He was pacing and so Kiba knew he must have done something wrong.

"And how'd you make it more awkward?" he asked, not sure that he really wanted to know. Naruto was so unpredictable that it could be a multitude of things that he'd done to make it awkward. For all he knew the blond might have kissed the man.

"Today before I came here," the blond said, trying to think about how to phrase it. "He came out of the bathroom with only a towel on," he continued. "And trust me, he looks _hot _in only a towel," he gave a perverted grin. His mind had drifted away from the problem and back to images of Sasuke dripping with water and only in a towel.

"Just get on with it," Kiba said, annoyed with how long Naruto was taking to tell him. He didn't really need the vision of a nude Sasuke to plague his mind.

"Well, I just kind of sat there staring at him," the blond explained. "He had water dripping from his hair and the water drops ran down his body and it was just sexy," he said in somewhat of a daze from just thinking about it. "Anyway," he snapped back to reality. "He asked me why I was staring and you know how my censor is when I'm distracted. So, well, I told him what I thought and I think I kind of freaked him out," he finished.

"Kind of?" Kiba asked. "If your gay roommate told you that wouldn't you be freaked out too?" the brunet asked. At times he couldn't believe how dumb Naruto acted.

"Hell no," Naruto responded. "Sasuke's hot, I wouldn't mind at all if he thought I was too," the blond once again gave a perverted grin. "He may be a bastard but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't tap that," he added. He had a sly grin on his face knowing that he had just completely disgusted Kiba.

"I really didn't need to know that," the brunet said. "It really was a rhetorical question," he said, slightly disturbed by the idea of Naruto and Sasuke having sex. He didn't mind Naruto being gay, but that didn't mean that he wanted to hear about it.

"Right, sorry," the blond said with a little laugh. He always found it funny that Kiba was uncomfortable when he talked about the men he liked. He finally sat on the bed across from Kiba, relaxing a little.

"Can we please talk about something else now?" Kiba asked, earning a nod from the other man. "Good, because I need some help," he told him.

"Well we all knew that, but I can't provide mental help," Naruto chuckled. "I think you should see a professional for that," he grinned, knowing that it wasn't what Kiba meant.

"You know that's not what I meant," Kiba said, again getting annoyed with his best friend.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Naruto. "So what is it then that you need help with?" he asked. They were each other's go to person, when one of them had a problem the other was always there to help. More times than not their helping got them into trouble rather than actually helping the situation.

"Hinata," Kiba replied. "Or more how to ask her out," he added. "You know I've liked her for a while," he continued. "I just don't know how to ask her out." He was nervous because he wasn't sure if Hinata felt the same way. They did talk a lot, but sometimes he felt as if he were stuck in the friend zone.

"Just ask her," Naruto suggested. "She's a simple girl, right?" he asked and Kiba nodded. "Then just ask her, you don't need to do anything special, it's not like it's a marriage proposal," he said.

"I guess you're right," the brunet agreed. "I just hope that I don't embarrass myself by getting rejected," he frowned. He dreaded the idea of getting rejected, but he knew that he had to take the chance.

**NS**

Sasuke sat across from his brother, just like he did every Friday. "So Sasuke, tell me, what's new with you and your roommate?" Itachi asked. He gave his brother a knowing look, which Sasuke decided to ignore.

"He's being a moron like usual," Sasuke shrugged. "He finally found out that I'm an Uchiha though," he added sadly.

"You don't like that he did?" Itachi asked. He wondered why, considering that Sasuke usually took pride in his name. The Uchihas were a wealthy family of prominence. Until that day, most people usually associated the Uchihas with money, not murder. Even then, Itachi was the one that was considered the bad seed, the rebel, but everyone else was still of high stature.

Sasuke looked down, unsure how to respond without seeming as if he liked the blonde. "Well, it was just nice to have somebody that didn't know. You know, someone that didn't pity me because of what happened," he explained.

"Ah, so that's why you like him," Itachi said with a smirk. "He doesn't treat you special because of your last name," he said. "He treated you just like he treats everyone else," he added. He could read his brother like a book, even if Sasuke didn't want to admit it, Itachi knew that he was right.

"I don't _like _him," Sasuke quickly said. "I said I liked the fact that he didn't know my last name, that's all," he told his brother. He hoped that his brother accepted his excuse, but he had a feeling that he didn't believe him.

"Right," Itachi smirked. "Anything else?" he asked, wanting to know more about his brother's roommate. He was intrigued by how Sasuke acted when the boy was brought up. The older man sensed that Sasuke wasn't telling him everything.

Sasuke looked down, causing Itachi's eyebrow to rise. He knew that Sasuke was usually able to make eye contact, so it always made him curious when the younger Uchiha wasn't able to look him in the eye. Finally Sasuke showed a little blush as he said, "He found out that I'm gay."

"So you _do_ like him," he smirked, making his brother uncomfortable. He could see that his brother was ready to protest. "Okay, I get it, you don't like him. There is no need to look at me like that," Itachi said skeptically. He didn't let his brother continue the conversation instead he switched subjects. "Are you still doing well in your classes?" he asked. He knew that school was a more comfortable subject for Sasuke to talk about and as much as he wanted to he wasn't going to make the younger Uchiha talk about something that he wasn't ready to talk about.

"Of course I am," Sasuke answered, allowing the subject change. He only had a limited time to speak to Itachi; he didn't want to fight with him the entire time. He decided that it was better to answer his brother's questions and enjoy any time he could spend talking to him.

**TBC….**

**Let me know what you think about the chapter…**


	10. Nerve Damage

**This is an added chapter; let me know what you think…**

**Inspired by the Lifehouse song**

**I'm working on chapter 12 right now and I actually like it…which is unusual…I'm just hoping that the end will be as good as I think the beginning is**

**Anyway, I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**Chapter 10: Nerve Damage **

Sasuke was damaged; anyone could see that. His life had hardened him and made him feel that people just weren't trustworthy. He built walls around him and hoped that they were impenetrable, but they weren't. Most people didn't try to knock down his walls, but Naruto wasn't most people. Sasuke had been pushing him away but he wasn't going to give up on the possibility of a friendship. They were roommates and so Naruto felt that they had to find a way to get along.

It was true that the blond may have been trying a little harder because he thought that Sasuke was hot. However, it could also have been the fact that he found Sasuke fascinating. He couldn't explain it, but he felt as if there was another side to the man. He felt that if he could break down his walls then he'd be able to understand him.

It was probably a little creepy that he was watching the dark haired man. Naruto was sure that Sasuke didn't think anyone was around. The courtyard was empty aside from the two. It was normal for that part of campus to be abandoned, there weren't many classroom buildings around so it meant that most students didn't bother coming to that part of campus. It didn't surprise him that Sasuke would find the one place that wasn't crowded. _'Maybe I should go talk to him,'_ he thought, figuring it'd be better than secretly watching him.

He took a deep breath and walked over to the dark haired man, "Hey." He smirked when he saw that he'd startled Sasuke. It was difficult to sneak up on him, but it seemed that he was so consumed with studying that he didn't even notice Naruto. "What are you doing?" he asked awkwardly.

"Studying," was Sasuke short response. He quickly looked back at his book, ignoring him in hopes that he would go away. However he didn't leave, he just continued to stare at him. It was unnerving to have someone so blatantly stare at him, it also didn't help that Naruto was being silent; Naruto was never quiet. "Is there something that you wanted?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"Just to talk," Naruto shrugged. When Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, the blond said, "I want to be friends." He saw Sasuke tense as he looked at him. The dark haired man didn't say anything in response, but instead just stared at him. It was as if he were trying to analyze him. "I'm serious," he told him.

"That's the problem," Sasuke replied. He saw Naruto frown as he continued, "I don't need any more friends, the ones that I have are annoying enough." He looked back down at his book, wondering why the hurt look on Naruto's face actually made him feel _a little_ bad. "Just go away," he mumbled, pretending to read. He found that he concentrate enough to read when Naruto was staring at him so intensely.

"You can't seriously tell me that you're happy only have three friends," Naruto said skeptically. He knew that Sasuke was antisocial but that didn't mean that he didn't need human contact. "Why can't you just be my friend? It's not like I'm saying we have to be the best of friends," he tried to convince the other man. "I just want us to be civil," he added, thinking that just being acquaintances could allow him to progress into friendship.

"Will it make you shut up?" Sasuke asked. He knew the answer would be no regardless of what Naruto said. It was impossible for the blond to stay quiet for very long.

"I doubt it," the blond grinned as he sat down across from Sasuke. "Can we at least talk about what happened the other day?" he asked. It was true that he hadn't previously known the Uchiha's last name, but he wanted him to know that it wasn't going to change anything between them. By the look on his face he realized that Sasuke wasn't sure what incident he was referring to.

"What about the other day?" Sasuke growled. His mind immediately thought of their conversation at the club. He saw that the blond looked amused by his reaction and thought that maybe he was wrong.

"When I found out about your last name," Naruto smirked, knowing that Sasuke must have been thinking about one of the many other awkward moments. It made him just a little bit smug knowing that Sasuke thought of their awkward interactions instead of about him knowing his last name. While it was uncomfortable, it was probably the least awkward of all their awkward interactions.

"Hn," Sasuke replied, feeling just a little stupid. "I need to study," he said, once again putting up his walls. He used school as a way to protect him from everyone else. If he concentrated on school, he wouldn't have to interact with people. He had an excuse to ignore people, but Naruto didn't seem to accept that.

Naruto grabbed the book away from him, making Sasuke glare. "You'll get it back when we're done talking," he told him with a smile. "I'm holding it hostage," he was very pleased with himself. "So, let's talk about that morning," he suggested, trying to get the conversation rolling.

"Stupid moron," Sasuke mumbled to himself. "Why do you want to talk about it?" he asked, annoyed with the other man. "I have better things to do than to listen to your pity," he told him angrily. He didn't need another person taking pity on him. Ever since the day it happened people acted as if it had affected his entire life. While it did have a major impact on him, it didn't help that people treated him as if he were made of glass. They all thought that they knew him and what he felt, but none of them did.

"That's just it," Naruto loudly said. "I _don't_ pity you," he told him making the other look at him skeptically. "I'm serious, you think that I'd pity a bastard like you?" he asked with a chuckle. "I just don't want you to think that I'm going to treat you differently because of your last name," he said calmly as he looked at Sasuke. He wasn't sure what to make of the expression gracing Sasuke's features; it looked as if he were conflicted.

"You know calling someone a bastard isn't the best way to get them to be your friend, moron," he replied. There was something different in the tone of his voice. He no longer had complete hatred in his voice, but rather it was more relaxed. "Plus it's not true, my parents were married when I was born," he continued with a small smirk on his face. He was trying to come off as bored and monotone, maybe slightly annoyed, but Naruto didn't believe it.

"Neither is calling someone a moron," he said. "But I've grown to kind of like our nicknames for each other, it really doesn't hurt when you call me a moron," he told him. He was smiling, knowing that he was kind of annoying the other man. "It's just your odd way of showing that you do actually like me," he continued. "You usually just ignore people, so if I weren't your friend at least a little bit you wouldn't even respond," he deduced. The blond crossed his arms on the table in front of him; feeling as if he'd just won the conversation.

"First of all, I'm not _trying _to be your friend, I really couldn't care less if we become friends," he said, trying to add venom to his words, but didn't seem to be affecting the blond. "Secondly, they are not nicknames, they are insults, idiot," he told him, trying his best not to become friends with the other man. "You're difficult to ignore, you're too persistent," he told the man. "It's quite annoying," he added.

"Right," Naruto said, obviously not affected by a single word Sasuke had said. "Whatever you say," he smiled, which just annoyed the other man even more. "If you're not ready to admit it yet, that's okay," he said, the smile on his face not disappearing. "We're friends whether or not you want to admit it," he said. The blond then continued to talk to him and all Sasuke could wonder was why he was participating in the conversation. He would usually force the person to give his book back and then go on ignoring them. For some reason things were different with Naruto. Sasuke didn't realize how much time went by until the blond finally said, "Well I have plans with Kiba tonight." He set Sasuke's book in front of him, "It was nice to talk to you." Naruto got up and started to walk away, thinking, _'I'll get him to open up to me, it's just a matter of time.'_

Sasuke looked around and realized that it was getting dark; he then wondered how the blond had managed to get him to talk for that long. _'He had my book,'_ Sasuke reminded himself, not even convincing himself that the excuse was a good one. _'Damn it,'_ he thought as he realized that Naruto was slowly pushing his way into his life.

**NS**

It had been a week since he and Naruto talked about their possible friendship. The blond looked at Sasuke as he studied and got an idea. He was already going out with his friends to a party off campus and he thought he'd make Sasuke tag along. "Want to go to a party?" he asked, hoping that for once it'd be simple. Of course after Sasuke let out a grunt, he knew it wasn't going to be. "Don't make me drag you," he warned.

"I have to study," he said, using his fall back excuse. "Besides, you should know by now that I'm not much of a partier," he added. Naruto continued to try to talk him into it, but Sasuke ignored him.

Naruto sighed, "Fine, but I'm going to get you away from studying one of these days." Sasuke just rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I'm serious, you just wait," he grinned, his mind already thinking about his plans to get Sasuke away from studying. Whether Sasuke knew it or not Naruto was going to get him to relax.

**TBC…**

**This is just a short chapter…I realized when I reread the story that it didn't have any part where Naruto and Sasuke actually become friends and so I wrote this extra chapter...**


	11. The World Belongs To Me

**This chapter was giving me trouble so sorry if it sucks….**

**As always I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**This is just getting less reviews by the chapter... Is it just not interesting anymore?**

**Chapter title was inspired by the My Darkest Days song The World Belongs To Me…I'm not sure how well it actually fits the chapter, but I like the song and I so I'm using it**

**Chapter 11: The World Belongs To Me **

It was 9 o'clock at night; most people were done with classes, minus the few night classes that the school offered. Most of the students that lived on campus were either out with their friends or in their dorm room. Sasuke was lying on one of the patches of grass that were scattered around the school grounds. He was looking up at the night sky, but it was difficult to see the stars since the school was in the middle of a busy city and the combination of pollution and lights made the stars difficult to find. It was peaceful to him to lie in the grass by himself. It was safe to say that Sasuke was not a people person and so getting away from people made him rather content.

As he lay in the grass, he started to think about everything in his life. He wondered how he'd allowed himself to become friends with the annoying blond that was his roommate. Over the past few weeks Naruto had pushed his way into Sasuke's life until the dark haired man had caved and let him in without any resistance.

He also thought about his family. He thought about both the past and present, mostly asking himself about what would have happened if things had been different. He wondered where his mom was and what she was doing. He wondered what his life would have been like if his mother hadn't killed his father. He suddenly found himself analyzing everything in his life. However, most of his thoughts were about Naruto.

Sasuke took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, _'I never let people in so how the hell did that moron make me change that?' _He opened his eyes as he continued to think, _'There's nothing special about him. It must be his persistence that made me allow myself to be his friend.' _While Sasuke knew that he was gay, he would not _allow_ himself to be even remotely attracted to the blond in anyway. He knew that it wasn't possible to control how he felt, but that didn't stop him from trying to convince his own mind that he wasn't even a little bit attracted to blond. Although he had admitted to himself that he was physically attracted to Naruto, he decided to write it off as temporary insanity. He'd learned years ago that good looks didn't necessarily correlate to being a good person.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of someone approaching him. He figured it was probably school security; they had already passed him several times, looking at him suspiciously. Sasuke quickly at up as he looked around only to find Naruto, whom was on his way back to the dorms after hanging out with some friends. "What do you want moron?" Sasuke asked as he looked at the blond. Naruto just smiled, though he didn't answer and instead opted for sitting next to Sasuke. "I'm serious, what do you want?" he asked again.

"I saw you over here so I decided to come see what you're doing," Naruto answered. He was trying to stay cheery even though he could tell that Sasuke wasn't even remotely happy. "I mean you're laying on the ground in the middle of campus at 9 o'clock at night," he pointed out.

"So what?" Sasuke said harshly. "Why does it matter to you?" he asked. The young Uchiha wanted to blond to go away, he had already been plaguing his thoughts enough; he didn't need to think about him anymore than he already had been.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked. "You seem a little angry," he said, worried about his friend. He knew that Sasuke was inherently guarded, but he seemed exceptionally tense that night.

"Why do you care?" Sasuke asked, looking away from the other man. "It's none of your business, so just go away and let me think in peace," he snapped. He just wanted some peace and quiet, but the blond never seemed to allow that to happen. Naruto always seemed to find him and make him do something.

"I care because you're my friend," the blond replied. "And don't try to deny it, we both know that we're friends. I know you wouldn't put up with me and go along with what I do if you weren't," he grinned.

"Seriously, go away," Sasuke said. He lied back down on the grass, trying to find a way to ignore the other man. However, ignoring the blond seemed to be an impossible task.

Naruto just laughed it off, he never took anything Sasuke said to heart because he was used to him being rude. Sasuke was rude to everyone, it wasn't as if it were personal, it was his natural response when anyone talked to him. "You know why I think that you don't want to admit that we're friends?" Naruto asked. Sasuke didn't humor him with a response so Naruto just continued, "I think it's because we're not as different as you want to believe."

"I am _nothing_ like you," Sasuke replied. "You're a blond idiot that talks too much and doesn't know when to go away," he said callously.

"Sure we are," Naruto said confidently. "We both have a guardian instead of parents. Also, we're both rather stubborn, even though I think you're worse than me. We both also know that I'm not a moron like you like to believe. I have a great grade point average, like you, only I like to have more fun and talk more and that doesn't make me a moron. Even though I know you won't admit it, you know you have fun when I make you go places. Though you act cold hearted, I'm sure you're just a softie underneath it all. There is also more trivial things like we're both gay and like to work out," he said, trying to prove his point.

Before the blond could even continue, Sasuke cut him off, "I get it, shut up." He wanted a change in subject. "Please, just shut up," he said, obviously annoyed.

"What I don't get is why you push everyone away," Naruto asked. "I get that your brother killed your parents, but that doesn't mean that you should automatically hate people in general," he said. "In fact, you'd think the lack of family in your childhood would make you search for some attention elsewhere," he added, knowing from experience.

"Not everyone is like you," Sasuke replied. "I don't want attention from people," he said with a frown. "They just disappoint you in the end," he said pessimistically.

Naruto looked at him trying to figure him out. "Then who do you go see every Friday?" he asked, though he hadn't meant to actually ask the question. Since he'd already said it though, he decided to continue, "I know it's not one of your friends."

"It's none of your business," Sasuke replied. He looked at the blond briefly and saw that he wasn't going to give up until he knew the answer to the question. He turned away and said, "If you must know, it's my brother."

"Why would you go see him?" Naruto asked, surprised by the answer. "He killed your family, I would think that you'd hate him," he said. Though he knew it probably wasn't the smartest thing to talk about family with Sasuke, he also knew it was a big part of why Sasuke acted the way that he did.

"It's none of your business," Sasuke replied, slightly angry. He got up, just wanting to get away from the blond and the conversation. Before he walked away, he said, "Trust me you could never understand my reasons, so just leave me alone."

Naruto decided not to follow Sasuke. He knew that Sasuke would probably need some time to calm down and he wouldn't be able to if Naruto was there. He saw that Sasuke was walking back toward the dorms and all he could think was, _'I would think he'd go somewhere else, the dorms are the last place he should be going if he wants to get away from me.'_ He pulled out his phone and dialed Kiba's number, knowing that if there was one place he could go for a while it was Kiba's dorm room.

**NS**

Sasuke lied on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It had been awhile since he'd talk to Naruto and he'd finally calmed himself down. He rolled over onto his side and opened the drawer to the nightstand next to the bed. He pulled out a picture buried at the bottom of the drawer. The picture had been taken about a month before the incident. He and his family looked happy in the picture, he knew that they weren't, but it was still nice to see. _'Why did it all have to happen?'_ he thought as he looked at the picture.

He didn't bother trying to hide the picture when Naruto walked into the room. He just continued to stare at the picture, completely ignoring the other's presence. "Hey," Naruto said nervously. "Listen, I want to say sorry," he said as he moved toward the other. Sasuke briefly looked at him, but then turned his attention back toward the picture. "I know I was a little out of line," the blond continued despite Sasuke's reaction. "Okay, I was way out of line," he sighed.

"Whatever," was all Sasuke said. Naruto could tell that he was still somewhat mad, but didn't want to push it any further.

"What are you looking at?" the blond asked. He was cautious about it because he knew that Sasuke was still mad at him. He tried to take the focus off of their previous conversation and onto what he hoped was a happier topic.

Sasuke frowned as he answered, "A picture." He didn't feel the need to elaborate; he knew that Naruto was just going to look anyway.

The blond walked over to see the picture. He could recognize that it was his family based on looks alone. "You guys look happy," Naruto smiled at him.

"Looks can be deceiving," was all Sasuke said before he put the picture away. He turned off his light and turned away from the other man.

Naruto just frowned as he made his way over to his own bed. By Sasuke's answer and actions Naruto knew it would be best to just turn off the light and go to bed. He quickly changed before turning off the light and crawling into bed. His mind was filled with questions that he knew that he couldn't ask, but it still left him wondering, _'What did he mean by that?'_

**NS**

Friday night Sasuke sat in front of his brother, as usual. He seemed more preoccupied than usual. Itachi noticed the change in his brother's actions and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, why would you think that something is wrong?" he asked. The look in his eyes told Itachi that his brother was lying. "Does it seem like something is wrong?" the younger of the two asked.

"Yes," Itachi answered. "You seem off today," he informed his brother. "What has been going on?" he asked. He was concerned because his brother was always able to tell him about his problems. Though since he usually stayed away from people, Sasuke didn't have many problems in the past.

"Nothing," Sasuke lied again. "I'm just having some issues with my roommate," he added. He hated lying to his brother, but he didn't feel the need to go into detail. If he went into detail Itachi might think that he liked the blond. He may even go as far as to compare him to Yukio and how he acted before he actually started to date him.

Itachi nodded and tried to hide a smirk; he knew that Naruto was getting under his skin. "I see," he replied. "I should have known it was something to do with him," Itachi said. "It always seems to be about him lately," he added with a knowing tone to his voice, he seemed to be telling Sasuke that each week.

"It does not," Sasuke denied. "He just is annoying, that's why he always comes up," he added defensively. Sasuke didn't look his brother straight in the eyes, which was a dead give away that he was lying to him.

"If you say so," Itachi replied. "So, besides dealing with the blond, what else has been going on in your life?" he asked, switching subjects. "You're keeping your grades up right?" he asked, giving Sasuke something new to talk about. Sasuke smiled a little at his brother as he answered Itachi's questions and managed to keep conversation about Naruto to a minimum.

**TBC…**

**Next chapter involves Yukio and Naruto meeting Yukio**


	12. Love Don't Live Here

**I meant to post this yesterday but I didn't have the time…my posting may not be as fast since school has started again…however, more reviews will make me want to write more…**

**Also, I know that this story seems to be going fast and it is on purpose…There are a lot of time jumps in this story, so it really isn't progressing as quickly as it seems…I'm just leaving out some stuff because I don't want it to become 57 chapters like Lights Out…I don't have the time for that…**

**Also, I might post a one-shot soon that I really want to make a full story out of when I'm done with this…if I write it, the one-shot will be titled Home is Where the Heart Is (which may change if I do write a multi-chapter version) and if I turn it into a multi-chapter will really depend on what kind of feedback the one-shot version gets… **

**As always I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**Inspired by the Lady Antebellum song**

**Chapter 12: Love Don't Live Here**

For once Sasuke had managed to sleep in. Naruto sat on his own bed with a book in hand. He was trying to study, trying being the key word. The problem was that Sasuke was rather distracting. While he may not have been saying anything, the look on his face was enough to distract. He looked peaceful and a little happy; it was a nice change from the scowl he used as a wall.

Knocks on the door of the small dorm pulled him from his thoughts. He quickly got up to get the door, hoping that it wouldn't wake his roommate. He saw him move a little, but he didn't actually wake up. When he opened the door he saw Suigetsu standing in front of him, "What's up?"

"Why isn't Sasuke answering my texts?" he asked as he shoved his way into the room. It surprised Naruto because the man wasn't usually so forceful. He guessed that something must have happened.

"No, please come in," he said sarcastically. He saw the light haired man staring at Sasuke in disbelief. "If you couldn't tell, he's still asleep," he pointed out. The other man still seemed in shock so Naruto asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"Are you sure he's alive?" Suigetsu suddenly asked, causing Naruto to chuckle. "I'm serious, I've never seen him sleep in this late," he said hurriedly as he walked over toward his best friend, ready to shake him awake.

"He's sleeping in for once, let him," Naruto said. "It's only nine," he pointed out. He didn't think that nine o'clock in the morning was that late, but apparently it was for Sasuke. "And yes I'm sure he's alive," the blond said, getting a questioning look from the other man. "His chest is moving up and down, he must be breathing," he informed him.

"Of course you'd know that," he laughed. When he got a confused look from the blond he elaborated, "You always seem to be checking him out in some way, I'm surprised Sasuke hasn't caught on." Again he turned toward his best friend, ready to wake him up, when Naruto grabbed his arm to stop him. "Look, I know you want to let him sleep but I have news that if I don't wake him up for then he'll kill me when he finds out from someone else," he told the man, seriousness written across his face.

"Fine, but if he tries to kill me, I'm blaming you," he mumbled as he went to his bed. He was ready to see what exactly the news was; perhaps he'd learn something new about Sasuke. It always excited him to learn about Sasuke, he was starting to suspect that the man had more layers than an onion.

"Sasuke," Suigetsu said loudly. He was about to shake the other man when Sasuke rolled over. He had a glare on his face that made Suigetsu question if it were a good idea or not.

"You two woke me up awhile ago," he stated, annoyance written all over his face. "You'd think that if you wanted to let me sleep then you'd talk quieter," he scoffed. He sat up, "Ignoring you two is like trying to sleep through a fire alarm." He was already in a bad mood so he wasn't sure wanted to hear what Suigetsu had to tell him. Against his better judgment he asked, "What is so important that you had to wake me up?"

"I saw someone earlier that I think you might want to know about," Suigetsu told him, not sure how to tell him. He was wishing that he'd sent Karin to tell him, but she was smart and stayed away from the conversation. Sasuke looked at him, expecting him to continue, "I saw Yukio."

Sasuke felt his mind go into over drive. He hated his blond ex; in fact he was one of the last people that he wanted to see, right at the top of the list with his mother. "I see," he said as he got up. The dark haired man quickly found clothes, not caring if they matched or not. "I need to take a walk," he told them, as he changed, not caring if Naruto was there or not.

It was then that the blond saw the scar running along the pale man's back. It was faded, but definitely there. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it before, then he realized that he was probably too distracted by the other man's chest. He knew better than to ask questions at that point, but his curiosity wouldn't let him just forget about the scar. It looked old, but he wasn't even sure what could leave that kind of scar.

When Suigetsu made a move to follow Sasuke out of the room, the dark haired man turned to him and said, "Alone." He then quickly stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked out of the room.

Suigetsu saw the confused look on his face and said, "Yukio is his ex-boyfriend." It seemed like Naruto wanted him to go into detail, but all he told him was, "If he wants you to know then he'll tell you." He knew better than to break Sasuke's trust by telling the blond everything. His trust was already hard to earn and once you broke it, you were never going to earn it back.

"And the scar?" he asked, hoping that he'd get more information. "Was that from Yukio too?" he asked. He wondered if Sasuke was so guarded because he had been in an abusive relationship.

"I wish that I could say it was," he told him, which made absolutely no sense to the blond. "I know that it may make no sense right now, but if he ever tells you what happened, then maybe you will," he said, though the vagueness of his words made Naruto even more curious. "Just leave it alone. Scars take a long time to heal and Sasuke's are far from being healed," he told him, talking about both emotional and physical scars.

**NS**

Sasuke was walking across campus, just trying to escape his thoughts. The last thing he wanted to do was run into Yukio. He needed to get away from everyone and be alone with his thoughts. Sasuke knew that if he stayed in his room then Naruto would just ask questions that he didn't want to answer.

In his attempt to escape from everyone he ran into something hard. He knew it had to be a person since it wasn't nearly rough enough to be a wall. He looked up and saw the one person he didn't want to see in that moment: Yukio. Something inside told him that it wasn't an accident; perhaps it was the satisfied look written across the blonde's face. As he looked at the other man he realized just how much he looked like Naruto. There were differences between the two, but the similarity was uncanny.

Before Sasuke could run in the opposite direction, Yukio grabbed his arm to stop him. "Sasuke," he said, his voice gentle. It was almost as if he were acting like nothing had happened between them, as if there were nothing wrong. He put his hand on Sasuke's cheek, but the dark haired man quickly pulled away.

"Let me go," he demanded as he pulled his arm free. Sasuke's dark eyes were trying to burn a hole through Kyuubi, or better yet make him burst into flames. In Sasuke's opinion, anything that would cause him pain would work. He quickly started to walk the other way, but Yukio followed him. "Please hear me out Sasuke," he practically begged, but the young Uchiha wasn't going to let himself fall for it. "I've changed," he told him, causing the other man to chuckle darkly in disbelief. "I'm serious," he said, again grabbing his arm roughly to make him stop walking.

"I've changed too," he told him. He wasn't backing down; he refused to let the blond close to him. "I'm not the guy I was in high school," he said, determined to make the other man leave him alone. "I'm not going to fall for your stupid games," he said, though he didn't know why he was talking to him. "Leave me alone," he said as he pulled his arm free and started to walk away again.

Yukio continued to follow him, trying to get him to talk to him. Apparently the silent treatment didn't work with the blond, which only made his mind compare him to Naruto even more. He decided to head back to the dorms where he knew that he could escape from Yukio.

The blond followed him all the way to his dorm room where he tried to stop him again. "Listen, I just want to be your friend," he told him. "Well not really, but I'll take whatever I can get," he said, as if pretty words would make Sasuke fall to his feet.

The dark haired man had already opened his door to go into his room, but Yukio's words made him stop. His actions weren't out of happiness or forgiveness, but rather anger. "You want anything you can get?" he asked, causing Yukio to cautiously nod. "You can go crawl into a ditch and die for all I care," Sasuke sneered. "You're not going to get anything from me," he added, his anger taking over and letting his emotions show. He was no longer holding everything in, his anger toward the man made it all explode out into the open. "You broke my heart," he told him as if the other man didn't already know what he'd done.

"I know, but," he was cut off by Sasuke.

"Shut up," the Uchiha demanded. "I don't want to hear what _you_ have to say," his words cutting through the other man like a knife. "You _used_ me," he was almost shouting at that point. "You told me that you loved me, fucked me, and then dumped me," he summarized their relationship through his eyes. "What the hell makes you think that I would want to even talk to you, let alone be your friend?" he asked. Sasuke was looking at him as if he were crazy, though the anger still showed on his face. A hint of hurt also showed, but he was trying his best to not let that side through. "Just leave me alone," he said, almost exhausted by all the emotional turmoil that had plagued his life.

"I know that I hurt you," Yukio frowned, not liking that his mistake was being thrown in his face. "But it was a mistake, I was young and stupid," he told him, just wanting the man to forgive him.

Naruto, Kiba, and Suigetsu were all watching the scene unfold as they sat in the dorm room. When Naruto saw Yukio move closer, trying to win Sasuke back, he made his move. The Uzumaki got up and walked to the door, successfully putting himself between Sasuke and the other man. "I believe he asked you to leave," Naruto hissed.

Sasuke was surprised by the action. "Naruto," he started, about to tell the man that he didn't need his help. However, he soon realized that he wasn't even paying attention to a word that he said, instead glaring at Yukio. Sasuke couldn't help but think they were acting like two alpha males fighting to be top dog. The look on each of their faces made Sasuke think that they were about to rip each other apart.

It was Kiba's turn to step in as he pulled his friend away from the door saying, "Calm down." It still didn't change the fact that Naruto seemed as if he were going to attack Yukio. He was always protective of his friends, but Kiba was thinking that Sasuke was special. Naruto would always back his friends up, but he rarely looked as if he wanted to kill the person on the spot.

"I'd go," Sasuke told his ex. "There is already a list of people that want to kill you and I think Naruto's adding himself to it," he said will all seriousness. He just wanted Yukio to leave; he didn't want it to become a physical fight.

"Whatever," Yukio snarled. He gave Naruto a once over as he smirked and said, "He's just a replacement. But you and I both know that there is nothing better than the real thing." He walked away and Kiba was doing his best not to let Naruto rip the guy to shreds.

Sasuke ignored Yukio's statement as he shut the door and looked at the other men. He didn't say anything; he wasn't sure what to say. Instead he walked over to his bed, not making eye contact.

Kiba could feel the awkward tension in the room, "We're going to leave you two alone to talk." He knew that Sasuke wouldn't talk with him and Naruto in the room, so he pulled the blond along with him. Naruto was complaining that he wanted to know what was going on, but Kiba ignored him and continued to drag him along. "Come on," he demanded as he pulled him along.

When the door shut behind them, Naruto asked, "Are we going to track that asshole down?" Kiba gave him a look of disbelief. "What? He deserves a good punch to the face," the blond shrugged. He realized that he was probably more worked up than he should have been, but he really didn't care.

"Someone's a little protective," Kiba said casually. Naruto just looked at him, but didn't say anything. He wasn't sure how to respond because he knew it was true. "I know your protective by nature," he told him, causing Naruto to relax a little. "But dude, you looked like you were ready to kill the guy," he laughed.

"Shut up," Naruto mumbled, though he didn't deny it. He knew it was true, though he didn't know why. He wasn't sure what had taken over him in that moment; he just knew that the man had hurt Sasuke.

"Whatever," Kiba shrugged, a smirk still displayed across his face. "But don't deny that you have a crush on him," he then continued. "I think you made it pretty obvious that you do," he told the man, who just blushed in response.

"How do I always find a way to make things awkward?" Naruto asked as he let out a sigh. He felt unsure as to where his and Sasuke's relationship stood at that point. Part of him was worried that the other man would turn away from him because of how he acted, or how he looked. He knew that he reminded him of Yukio and he didn't want their friendship to be ruined because of that. "I really need to learn to just sit back and shut up," he said as he looked at his best friend.

"Yeah, you probably should," Kiba laughed. "But honestly I don't think it's going to change anything," he told him, though he wasn't sure. He didn't know the Uchiha very well, but he knew that Naruto hadn't done anything to break his trust. All he had done was stick up for the other man. If there was one thing that he'd learned about Sasuke in the short time of knowing each other, it was that trust was important to the man. As long as Naruto didn't break that trust, he figured the blond would be fine.

**NS**

In the room, Suigetsu looked at Sasuke. He was waiting for him to start the conversation, but realized that it wasn't going to happen any time soon. "You've been holding that in for a while," it was more of a statement than a question. Suigetsu frowned when Sasuke didn't respond. "You know that Naruto's nothing like that guy," he said, knowing that bringing his roommate into the conversation would draw out a response.

"How do you know?" he asked. His voice was sharp, but Suigetsu knew better than to take it as anger. It was a defense mechanism; he was trying not to show his insecurities. Sasuke had never been good at dealing with his emotions; he never wanted to appear vulnerable.

"You were never really friends with Yukio," Suigetsu reminded him. "In fact I think you barely knew anything about him," he continued, though it caused Sasuke to glare at him. "I'm serious Sasuke," he said. "Naruto wants to be your friend, or I should say is your friend," he smiled, though Sasuke quickly adverted his eyes.

"I hate you," Sasuke muttered as he closed his eyes. He wasn't sure how Naruto had become a friend, but he knew that Suigetsu was right. He knew that Naruto was his friend, no matter how much he wanted to deny it.

"No, you hate that I'm right," Suigetsu responded smugly. He didn't want Sasuke treating Naruto differently just because he looked like his ex-boyfriend. "Just don't hate the guy, he's not Yukio," Suigetsu once again emphasized. Sasuke just nodded and Suigetsu knew that it was the end of the conversation. When he saw a small smile grace the other man's lips he knew that Sasuke didn't hate the blond, rather his emotions were the exact opposite of hate. All he knew was that the more Sasuke got to know Naruto, the more interesting it'd be to watch.

**TBC…**

**Let me know what you think…I kind of like this story, let me know if you agree or disagree…**


	13. Too Late For Us

**I wanted to post this sooner but a lot of people wanted more Yukio and I didn't like the transition between the next chapter and the previous so I added a chapter... **

**As always, I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**Inspired by the Bedlight for Blue Eyes song**

**Chapter 13: Too Late For Us**

Yukio sat on a ledge by a set of stairs leading up to one of the classroom buildings. He wasn't sitting there to wait for his next class, but rather he sat to watch Sasuke. Part of him was starting to feel like a stalker, but the other part didn't care. He wanted Sasuke back and he was going to get him back. He was sure that Sasuke didn't notice him at that point because if he did then he would have left.

He watched as Sasuke studied, or tried to at least. His blond roommate didn't seem to be letting him, which annoyed Yukio. Every now and then he'd see Sasuke let out a small chuckle and it made him want to punch the other blond. He felt that the other man was getting in his way and something needed to be done about it. _'What can I do to insure that he won't be a problem?'_ he asked himself. Yukio smirked when he realized that all he needed to do was make him break Sasuke's trust and then he could sweep in and pick up the pieces.

**NS**

"Come on, you know that you want to," Naruto smiled. Sasuke loved his smile, not that he'd tell him that. It was something that scared him about Naruto; he had the same kind of smile as Yukio. "It's just one day, I promise it'll be fun," he said excitedly. He wanted to get the other man out of his comfort zone, to loosen him up a little.

"Will it shut you up?" Sasuke asked, knowing the answer to that question. The blond had been bugging him to go to a near by amusement park. Once he had heard that Sasuke had never been to one he had started to try to get him to go.

"I can't promise that, but you should know that by now," he replied as he continued to smile. He could sense that Sasuke was getting ready to cave in, which made him even more persistent. "But I will let you study right now," he promised.

Sasuke looked at him and sighed, "Fine, just shut up." He had been feeling eyes on him all day and he was sure that he knew who it was. Sasuke looked over his shoulder and saw Yukio staring at him. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes that told him that he was up to no good. He looked back toward Naruto and felt even more uncomfortable. The blond was looking at him and he was obviously worried.

"Ignore him," Naruto said. He could see that Sasuke was tense and he knew why. It was the third time that week that the man had been staring at them and he knew that it was making Sasuke feel uncomfortable.

"I thought you were leaving so that I could study," Sasuke replied. It was a defense mechanism; he never seemed to talk about things that made him uncomfortable, or more that dealt with emotions.

"I just want to make sure you're okay," Naruto told him. He had a look of seriousness that was unusual for the blond. He was genuinely concerned about Sasuke and wished that he'd talk to him.

"Don't worry about me," Sasuke demanded. "I'm fine, I've dealt with worse," he assured him, though the words weren't truly assuring. It just made him feel worse to be reminded about how horrible Sasuke's childhood had been.

Naruto knew not to push Sasuke, but rather just let the subject go. "Alright, I'm leaving," Naruto smiled as he got up from the table, wishing that Sasuke would smile back. "I should get to class anyway," he added, dreading that he'd have to walk past Yukio in order to get to his class. "I'll see you later," he called back to him as he walked away from the dark haired man.

As he walked toward the building that his class was in, he tried to ignore Yukio. He didn't look at him, hoping not to start a fight with him. He knew that if Yukio said anything stupid to him then he might not be able to resist the urge to punch the man. However, Yukio had other plans. "Hey," he called as Naruto walked past him. When he didn't stop, Yukio pulled his arm to make him.

"What do you want?" he asked, glaring at the other blond. He could tell that he was up to something and he was sure that it involved Sasuke. Naruto knew that Yukio wanted Sasuke back; he just wasn't sure to what extent he'd go to in order to get what he wanted.

"Here," he said, handing him a piece of paper. When Naruto looked at him confused, he said, "It's the location of the prison that Sasuke's brother is in, maybe he'll give you some answers." He was sure that Naruto didn't know everything. Sasuke hadn't told him everything when they were dating, so he was sure that the other blond probably knew nothing.

Naruto gave the paper back to him, "No thanks." He knew that Yukio was trying to get him to do something stupid and he wasn't falling for it. "I'm sure Sasuke will tell me when he's ready," he told him, not wanting to break Sasuke's trust. "You may think that I'm stupid, but I can assure you that I'm not," he informed him. He was ready to walk away, but Yukio continued.

"I don't _think_ that you're stupid. I _know_ that you're stupid," he taunted him. He wanted to provoke a reaction out of the other man and by the look on his face he knew that he was going to. He figured that he'd yell at him, but he was wrong. Before he even realized what was happening, Naruto punched him in the face. He was on the ground, his hand over his left eye, where he was sure that a bruise was already forming. "You're in for it now," he told him as he got up and lunged toward him.

Naruto was smarter than him and quickly moved out of the way, causing Yukio to fall to the ground. A group had formed around them and Naruto said, "You might as well stop, you're making a fool out of yourself." However Yukio didn't stop, which caused Naruto to land another punch.

Soon Sasuke had come over and saw what was going on. "You've got to be kidding me," he said under his breath as two guys had pulled them apart. Once the two saw Sasuke glaring at them, they knew that both of them were on the shit list. "Come on," he growled as he pulled Naruto out of the group of people. The group just watched, but didn't follow. While they all wanted to know what was going on, they weren't stupid. Everyone knew not to mess with an angry Uchiha.

Naruto was slightly scared when Sasuke pulled him off toward a secluded place, "I have to get to class you know." He didn't want to have the conversation he thought was coming. He was sure that Sasuke was going to be angry with him, after all Sasuke felt that he could fight his own battles.

"You had enough time to fight with him, I'm sure you can talk to me," he growled. Naruto knew at that point that he shouldn't argue. When the stopped walking, Sasuke took a minute to talk, which made the blond worry more. "What the hell were you thinking?" he asked, though he figured the problem was that Naruto wasn't thinking.

"He was being an asshole," Naruto replied. "How am I the bad guy? He's the jerk, not me," he said defensively. He didn't want Sasuke to be mad at him, but he had to stand up for himself.

"I know, but I don't need you to fight my battles," he replied. "I have enough people wanting to fight my battles and if I let them then Yukio would probably dead right now," he informed him. Naruto could see that Sasuke was sick of people feeling like he needed to be protected. While Sasuke was somewhat yelling at him, he skill couldn't help but be a little happy that Naruto punched him.

"Okay, I'm sorry," the blond replied. "Just keep me away from him and it won't happen again," he promised, causing Sasuke to give him to glare at him again. "I'm kidding, it won't happen again," he laughed, to which Sasuke just shook his head.

"Just go to class moron," Sasuke told him, though they both knew there was a small smile on his face. Naruto just smiled back at him before walking back toward his class. Sasuke took a deep breath as he wondered, _'What the hell is wrong with me?'_

**NS**

"Hey, I heard what happened," Suigetsu said immediately after walking up to Sasuke. Apparently the fight had been the talk of the school all day, which didn't amuse Sasuke. There had been plenty of rumors, varying from him dating Yukio again to him and Naruto becoming an item. "Any of those rumors true?" he asked with a grin, which told him that he was asking if he's dating Naruto.

"No," Sasuke assured him. "They were just being idiots," he said. When Suigetsu gave him a look of skepticism, he said, "I'm serious, nothing happened." He was getting annoyed with his best friend and ready to walk away if he didn't drop the subject.

"What was the fight even about?' he asked. He wanted to ask about what he and Naruto had done when he pulled him away from the crowd.

"Them acting like children," Sasuke replied. He didn't know how else to answer the question; he wasn't there when the fight started. "I don't know," he admitted. "I wasn't there to see the actual fight," Sasuke told him.

"So, is Yukio stalking you?" he asked, realizing that he'd seen the man a lot when he hung out with Sasuke. He saw the look on Sasuke's face and he knew the answer wasn't a good one. He had a feeling that the answer was going to be yes, which made him worried about Sasuke.

"I'm starting to think so," the Uchiha replied. He frowned when he thought about how many times he'd seen Yukio in that week alone. "I'm starting to think that it isn't just a coincidence that I ran into him," he dark haired man told him. Suigetsu could hear the uncertainty in his voice and he knew that Sasuke was once again feeling insecure. Sasuke wished that Yukio would just leave him alone, but Suigetsu had a feeling that it wasn't going to happen that easily.

"It is weird that right after I tell you about him he suddenly shows up," Suigetsu agreed. He hadn't really thought much of it at the time, but he realized that Yukio seemed like he wanted to be seen by him. He had smirked when he knew that Suigetsu had seen him, as if he knew that he'd run to tell Sasuke immediately. "The guy is a creep," he told him, understanding why Sasuke would feel insecure when Yukio was around.

"Don't you have class?" Sasuke asked realizing what day and time it was. He knew that Suigetsu usually hurried to that class because he shared it with his girlfriend.

"Yeah, I should get going," he sighed. "I've been kind of avoiding Karin," he admitted with a frown. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to know how to explain it. "She's just been acting weird and I have no idea what I did," he told him. "I'm just hoping that it passes," he said with an unsure smile.

"Good luck with that," Sasuke chuckled, knowing how Karin was when she got mad. Suigetsu didn't seem happy with his response, but didn't say anything. He walked away, giving one last gesture as he gave him the finger. "Don't be mad at me because you did something to piss her off," Sasuke said to him with a small laugh.

**NS**

Sasuke was walking back to his dorm when Yukio walked up to him. He was really starting to annoy the young Uchiha. "What do you want?" he asked, his tone was somewhat angry, mixed with annoyance. "I thought I told you to leave me alone," he said.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about that fight," he said, trying to make Sasuke let his guard down. "It was stupid," he told him, taking a step closer to him. "You know like a lot of things I've done," they both knew he was talking about how he broke Sasuke's heart.

Sasuke stepped back away from him, not falling for his tricks again. "Leave me alone," he told him. "And while you're at it, leave Naruto alone too," he added, not sure why he was protecting him. "You're starting to creep me out, you're acting like a stalker," he pointed out, wishing that the man would just leave him alone.

"I just want to be by you again," he said, again taking a step closer. "I miss you," he said gently, smiling at him as if it'd make it all better. "Just give me a chance," he pleaded as he went to put a hand on Sasuke's cheek.

Sasuke pushed him away, "Don't touch me." He backed away again, not feeling comfortable being so close to the other man. "Just accept the fact that we're over and we have been since you broke up with me in high school," he said angrily. He hated that the man thought that he could just walk back into his life and everything would be okay. "Just leave me and my friends alone," he demanded, not even realizing that he was including Naruto as one of his friends.

"Why can't I just be one of those friends?" he asked, he always tried to talk himself out of trouble. He didn't try to move closer again, he had a feeling he may be punched again if he did. "Give me a chance to show that I really have changed," he begged. Though if he was being honest with himself, he knew that he wasn't all that different from high school. He wasn't going to let Sasuke know how many hearts he'd broken since they'd broken up, he wanted Sasuke back not for him to push him further away.

"I'm not stupid," he told him. "I'm not the kid I use to be," he added, letting him know that he wasn't going to fall for it again. "I'm only going to say this one more time," he started, part of him wishing that Naruto was there. He had a feeling that the other blond could intimidate Yukio. "Leave me alone," he demanded. "Unless you want me to let Naruto or Juugo to rip your head off," he said casually. "Really you're just lucky that my brother's already in jail or you'd probably be dead already," he informed him, wanting him to leave and having a feeling that bringing up his "murder" brother might to the trick.

Yukio didn't respond so Sasuke said, "That's what I thought." He walked past him and didn't look back. He was over Yukio; it was too late for them to ever have any kind of relationship again. As the saying goes "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." He refused to get fooled again.

**TBC…**

**Let me know what you think…**


	14. Maybe

**Two songs inspired title of this chapter, oddly with the same title, called Maybe one by Sick Puppies and the other by Kelly Clarkson – more so the Kelly Clarkson one though – neither one fit the chapter all that well but I think that they kind of describes Sasuke…**

**I'm jumping over all of the things that may read as boring so this story doesn't end up being 57 chapters like Lights Out so this chapter jumps ahead in time a little**

**Ever have one of those days where you really hate people? I'm having one of those days, which is good for the story because when I'm in that kind of mood I tend to write…**

**Chapter 14: Maybe **

Naruto was happy and it wasn't just his usual happy, he was happier than normal. He had begun to be friends with Sasuke to the point that he felt that he could officially call them good friends. He knew that they were friends, but the way Sasuke was acting made him feel like he agreed. The incident with Yukio hadn't changed anything, if anything it made Sasuke seem more comfortable with him. He wasn't sure what Suigetsu had said to him, but it worked. Sasuke still didn't tell him anything personal, but what mattered was that Sasuke wasn't pushing him away when he tried to talk to him and he even went out with him and his friends.

It had been a few weeks since the night that Sasuke was lying on his bed staring at the picture of his family and Naruto was still trying to understand what he'd said. He wished that he could make him explain his words, but he knew that they'd have to be better friends before that happened. He also wondered about the scar that he'd seen, but he knew that only Sasuke's closest friends probably knew why he had it.

The blond was happier than normal because he'd gotten Sasuke to agree to go with him to a nearby amusement park. It took a lot of convincing and persistence, but he finally agreed. Sasuke had told him that he only agreed in order to make the blond shut up, but Naruto didn't care.

Naruto walked into their room after breakfast, ready to pull his roommate out of his bed in order to drag him to the amusement park. He saw Sasuke lying on his bed so that his feet were at the top and lying on his stomach, leaning on his elbows and looking down at a book. To anyone else he'd appear to be studying, but Naruto could see by the look on his face that he was thinking. His eyes weren't skimming the page nor was he writing anything down, which indicated to the blond that he wasn't studying at all. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, interrupting Sasuke's thoughts.

"Homework," was Sasuke's quick answer. It was always his fall back answer when he didn't want to talk about something. As he got to know Sasuke, Naruto was finding that the man was rather predictable.

Naruto didn't believe him, but let it slide, knowing that Sasuke wasn't going to tell him anything. "Well get up, we're going to the amusement park, remember?" he replied. Sasuke didn't move so he then said, "You should just make it easier on yourself because if you don't get up on your own then I'll pull you out of your bed."

Sasuke glared at him as he got up, mumbling something about stupid blondes. "Who else is going?" Sasuke asked as he dug through his drawers, looking for something to wear. He only asked because he didn't like some of Naruto's friends, or more he didn't like Sakura, the annoying girl whom didn't seem to understand the words "I'm gay" and continued to flirt with him.

"Just us," Naruto replied. "I know you don't particularly like most of my friends, so I figured we could just hang out today. Plus it's easier to get two people on a ride than it is to try to get a whole group on the same ride," he explained. He knew it was probably just a lame excuse to hang out with Sasuke alone, but he hoped that Sasuke didn't realize that.

"Hn, whatever," Sasuke responded, not sure why part of him was happy about Naruto's answer. He grabbed his clothes before heading to the bathroom, not wanting a repeat of the shower incident. He already knew that Naruto liked the upper half of his body; he didn't need to show him the rest of it.

Naruto was slightly disappointed when Sasuke didn't change in front of him and it was one of the many reasons that he thought the other man wasn't as confident as he led on. Naruto had seen the way that he looked at his family picture and his expression when he was deep in thought. He also saw how vulnerable he looked on the subject of his brother. He felt that Sasuke used his attitude as a way to keep people at a distance.

After a few minutes of waiting he banged on the door, saying, "Come on, it can't possibly take you that long to get dressed. Stop being a girl and stop doing your hair."

The door opened and Sasuke just glared at the blond, "If you ever call me a girl again, I'm going to punch you in the face."

"Then stop acting like one," Naruto chuckled as Sasuke grabbed his wallet. "Let's go I want to be able to go on all of the rides before we have to leave," he said, starting to pull Sasuke out of the door.

"I get it, now let me go," Sasuke said, pulling his arm out of the blonde's grasp. As they walked out of the room, part of Sasuke wanted to punch the grin off of Naruto's face; the other half loved the blonde's smile. The second side of him was the one that scared him, the side that he wanted bury deep inside.

**NS**

Sasuke couldn't help but wonder how Naruto managed to make him go on a water ride. "Now we're soaking wet idiot," he said, accidently letting a small laugh out. Naruto smiled as he looked at Sasuke. "Why are you staring at me?" Sasuke asked, trying not to show his good mood and failing.

"It's nice to see you happy," he answered, making Sasuke regain his composure. "You have a nice smile, you should do it more," he said. When he saw the look on Sasuke's face, which made him look like a deer in headlights, he added, "Plus I don't think I've ever seen your hair not spiked into looking like as duck's ass. Now it looks like a wet cat." He laughed, though Sasuke didn't seem to think it was very funny. "Which fits you," Naruto said.

"Shut up moron," the dark haired man said, slightly annoyed. Sasuke didn't know how else to respond to him, so instead he changed the subject, "Let's go on another ride, I need something to dry me off." Naruto just nodded, hoping that he hadn't made the day too weird.

They got off of the ride, mostly dry. Naruto felt his stomach grumble and he said, "I'm hungry let's go get some lunch, I saw a food place earlier." Sasuke just nodded and so Naruto continued the conversation by asking, "Do you think they sell ramen here?"

"God, I hope not," Sasuke replied. "Really you need to eat something healthier than ramen," he told the blond.

"That's not all I eat," Naruto retorted. "I eat plenty of other things, ramen just sounds like the best option most of the time," he said. "Plus if they don't have ramen, I can get nachos, all of these places usually sell nachos," Naruto continued. Sasuke didn't bother responding to him, he knew it was a battle that he wasn't going to win.

Hours later and they were still at the amusement park. He didn't want to admit it, but he was having fun. He and Naruto were eating and talking over dinner. He still couldn't believe that he had let it get so late that he had to eat dinner at the amusement park.

The blond looked at the man across from him and he couldn't help but feel as if the whole day felt like one long date. They had fun, they ate together, and were talking; he knew that it was wrong to feel that way, but he couldn't help himself. He was staring to accept that he was attracted to Sasuke, regardless of the fact that the guy could be a total jerk. Part of him wished it really was a date and that Sasuke felt the same attraction that he was starting to feel, but he knew that it was just wishful thinking.

**NS**

When Friday rolled around, Sasuke knew that he had a lot to talk about with his brother. The last time they talked he danced around a lot of his questions. He hadn't told him about Yukio, he knew that it would upset his brother. He also wasn't sure how to tell his brother about his day with Naruto, at least not without getting teased.

"You look troubled," Itachi said as he sat across from his little brother. "What's on your mind?" he asked. He always knew when something was wrong. Itachi always seemed to know the change in his demeanor and never failed to ask about it.

"I'm just really confused," Sasuke answered. He wasn't sure how much he should tell him, he didn't want to anger Itachi. They both knew that the man was a sensitive topic so Sasuke wasn't sure how to talk to him about it with out making him angry.

"I thought we already established that you are gay," Itachi teased. He knew that Sasuke didn't mean it like that, but it was still fun to tease the younger man. After all that was what big brothers were supposed to do, though by the look on his face it appeared that Sasuke didn't agree.

"You know that's not what I meant," he practically hissed. He knew that his brother was just trying to get under his skin, but that didn't make a difference. He was serious about his confusion and he wanted Itachi to take it seriously too.

"Well, then maybe I can help," said Itachi as he watched Sasuke think about it. "You've got to talk to it about someone. Who is better to talk to than a guy in jail that can't spill your secrets?" he half joked.

Sasuke frowned at his brother's words, hating the fact that his brother was in jail. "I just don't get how I could let a moron get so close. He's a friend now and I have no idea how it happened," he confessed to his brother.

"Oh, this is about the roommate again, I should have known," Itachi said with a small smirk. He had a feeling that Sasuke's feelings toward his roommate were more than just friendly and Sasuke was starting to confirm his suspicions.

"We went to an amusement park this week," he told him, deciding that the conversation about Naruto was a safer one than one about Yukio. "I actually had fun," he said, making his brother a little surprised. "You know how much I hate crowds and waiting in lines and yet I didn't mind it that day," he said, his confusion clearly showing in his expression.

"I see," Itachi replied. He had to give credit to the man, knowing that not just anyone could get Sasuke to agree to go to an amusement park, let alone have fun there. "So have you told Suigetsu that you might be replacing him?" he asked, loving the reaction he got from his brother, it was a mix of anger and confusion.

"What? I have not, why would you think that that blond moron would become my best friend?" he asked, not wanting to admit that he may have, considering that he seemed have started to spend more time with Naruto than he had with Suigetsu over the past couple of weeks. "I haven't even told him the truth about what happened that day," he said, defending his argument. "So there is no way that he could be my best friend," he assured himself more than Itachi.

"Maybe it's time that you did," Itachi replied. "If you ask me, he is clearly becoming your new best friend. You talk about him more than you have ever talked about Suigetsu," he pointed out. "That has to mean something," he said. He left out the idea that it might be because Sasuke likes him, he thought the best way to keep the conversation going was by just saying that it's friendship.

Sasuke just shrugged in response, not sure what else he could say. Itachi had obviously made up his mind that Sasuke and Naruto were close friends. When Itachi saw the look on Sasuke's face he asked, "What else is wrong?"

"I saw Yukio," he confessed after a long pause. He saw the look on Itachi's face. He looked worried because he knew how much the man affected Sasuke. "He wants to be friends, but I'm not sure that's all he wants," he told him. He was trying to choose his words carefully.

"Sasuke, remember what he did to you," he warned him, not wanting to see his brother get hurt again. He knew that Sasuke was book smart, but when it came to people he tended to do dumb things.

"I told him to leave me alone," Sasuke said, calming some of his brother's worries. "It was just difficult to see him again," he admitted as he looked at his hands. He knew that Itachi would always worry about him; he just wished that he didn't have to worry at all.

**NS**

When Sasuke got back to his dorm room that night, he found that Naruto wasn't there. He figured that he must have gone out with his friends like he often did. He laid on his bed, pulling out one of his textbooks in hopes of studying and getting Itachi's words out of his head. He failed miserably and his mind instantly wandered to Naruto. _'He can't be my best friend, that is just ridiculous. He's my roommate and I guess my friend, but certainly not my best friend. For once Itachi is wrong, he has to be. But then why did I go with him the other day? And why is he able to get me to go out with his friends? Damn it I know that I may have a small crush on him, but that doesn't mean he's my best friend. Why'd Itachi have to say that about him? Why would he tell me to tell Naruto what happened that night? He knows that I don't open up to just anyone so why would he think that Naruto would be any different? He can't be my best friend,' _Sasuke sighed as he continued to be drowned in his thoughts. _'Why did Itachi have to make everything so confusing?'_ he asked himself as he looked up at the ceiling.

**NS**

Naruto looked around at all of his friends. He was talking to Shino and Chouji, though he wasn't really paying attention. He'd add a "Yeah" and make noises of agreement from time to time, but he wasn't quite sure he knew exactly what he was agreeing with. He looked around at all of his friends; some were flirting, some of which he thought was unintentional. Kiba was flirting with Hinata, once again, and Hinata seemed to be flirting back but he was sure the girl didn't know what she was doing. Sakura was also flirting back with Lee, though he _knew_ that wasn't on purpose. Sakura just liked the attention and somehow had gone from ignoring him to encouraging him. Neji and Gaara were once again being secretive and quiet with their conversation. Naruto figured that there was something between them that they didn't want everyone to know about. Neji came from a wealthy background and knew he may be shunned if he had a relationship with a guy. The blond just wondered how long they could actually keep it a secret. As usual, Shikamaru had Ino and Temari fighting over him. With how close Shikamaru seemed to be sitting closer to Temari, it seemed as if she were winning.

Naruto couldn't help but wish that Sasuke were there. Watching almost all of his friends have someone made him think about his dark haired roommate. He tried to assure himself it was just because he wanted someone to talk to, but he knew that wasn't true. He liked the other man and it would be just another excuse to talk to him. Ever since meeting Sasuke's ex-boyfriend something in Naruto clicked.

"Are you okay Naruto?" Chouji asked, noticing that he wasn't paying attention. Naruto usually talked a lot, which made him wonder what he was thinking about.

"Yeah I'm fine," Naruto replied. "Just thinking," he said, not bothering to go into detail about his thoughts. He didn't want to tell his friends about his attraction to Sasuke until he knew if they were returned or not. He had a feeling that meant he wouldn't be telling them for a long time, if he ever got the courage to make a move.

**TBC…**

**I had a difficult time writing this chapter so let me know what you think of it…**


	15. Don't Fight It

**Song that inspired this chapter: Don't Fight It by 10 Years…I think it only really works for part of the chapter and I don't know that it really fits the chapter very well, but it oddly inspired this chapter **

**As always I own nothing, enjoy and please review…**

**Chapter 15: Don't Fight It **

Something was bugging Sasuke, Naruto could tell just from the way he was sitting, or more lying. He was staring at what seemed to be nothing, perhaps the ceiling, but by the look on his face Naruto knew that he wasn't really paying attention to where he was staring. He seemed to be too caught up in his thoughts to even care. "What's wrong?" Naruto finally asked, breaking Sasuke out of his thoughts.

"Just thinking about something my brother said," he answered, not sure how much he should actually tell him. His brother seemed to think that he should tell him everything, but he wasn't sure that he could do that.

"What was it about?" he asked, confused as to what his brother could have said that made him think so much. "Maybe if you tell me then I can help you," he suggested, hoping that Sasuke would agree.

Sasuke was silent for a moment, obviously thinking about what Naruto had said. "You," was his answer. He saw the shock written all over the blonde's face, so he quickly added, "He thinks that I should tell you." He took a deep breath before saying, "Everything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked. "What does he think that you should tell me?" he questioned. He wasn't sure what there really was to tell, he knew about his family, or at least he thought that he did. The Uchihas had been all over the news when it happened and so everyone knew the story. He also knew that Sasuke was gay, so it couldn't be that. He knew the little trivial things and it only made him wonder more what he could be hiding.

Sasuke looked down, deciding if he should tell him. He figured it was too late to turn back since he'd already told Naruto that it was about him. "Well," he said, not sure where to start. "I guess I should just start from the beginning," he sighed. He wasn't sure why he was telling him, but something made him feel like he had to explain.

"That would be a good place to start," Naruto agreed, earning a glare from the other man. "Sorry, please continue," he smiled, a little nervously, not wanting Sasuke to change his mind.

Sasuke sat up, turning so that his feet were on the ground as he sat, across from Naruto. He was unsure about telling Naruto everything that happened with his family, but he figured that he might as well considering that the conversation had already gotten that far. "He thinks that I should tell you about what really happened the night of my father's death," he elaborated.

Naruto just nodded as a signal to continue and so he did, "My father was abusive." The words made Naruto frown, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to ruin what may be his only chance to hear the story. "It was mostly my mom he hurt and then made up and excuse as to why she was in the hospital again," his voice was a little shaky as he remembered every detail of that night. "They were fighting again, I went down to see what was happening but my mother sent me away. She was always protecting me. Itachi didn't need protection, he was the favorite," he continued with his story.

Naruto could see that Sasuke was struggling with telling the story, "It's okay." He moved to Sasuke's bed and tried calming him down by rubbing his back softly. Sasuke quickly pulled away from his hand, making Naruto realize that he didn't want to be touched. "Sorry," he said quietly.

Sasuke just nodded and continued with his story, "That night, I heard a gun shot and I ran back to the living room where they were fighting. I saw my mother in the room, holding the gun and my father dead on the floor." Naruto looked a little surprised by the information, but let Sasuke continue. "Itachi didn't come into the room until about a minute after I did. He grabbed the gun and told my mother to leave. The next thing I know, he's taking the blame for killing my parents," he said softly.

"Why'd he do that?" Naruto asked. He was confused as to why his brother would take the blame for something he didn't do, or more why he'd go to jail for it. "And why didn't you just tell people the truth?" he then asked.

"He wanted to protect my mother," Sasuke answered. "He thought that she had been through enough in her life," he tried to explain, but even he didn't think it was a good enough reason. "He told me that everything was going to be okay and to just keep quiet. I was eight and he was my older brother, I trusted him and went along with what he said," he frowned; obviously wishing he had done things differently.

"What about his lawyer?" Naruto asked, knowing that with how rich the Uchiha family was he'd be able to afford a very good one.

"The family lawyer tried to come to the rescue," Sasuke said, sadness evident in his voice. "Itachi wouldn't let him though, he refused to have a lawyer," he said. "Itachi had enough time to manipulate the crime scene, getting blood on himself in the process. He even wiped my mother's fingerprints off of the gun, leaving only his own," he explained.

"Oh," Naruto said, not sure what else he could say. "Couldn't investigators prove that it wasn't him?" the blond asked, thinking about all of the shows that he'd seen.

"Life isn't like those stupid shows on TV. In real life they take the confession and try to find evidence to go along with it. They even made it sound premeditated because of the fact that the gun case was already opened. He confessed to killing my mother and father and in the end that was all that the judge really needed," Sasuke said, almost bitterly. "Real investigators don't always get the bad guy and when they think they have the guy, they stop looking for anyone else to blame it on," he said and one could hear the mix of sadness and anger. "He'll have a chance of parole in fifteen years, just in time to miss his entire life," he frowned. "I keep hoping that they let him out early for good behavior but they never do," he added quietly.

"Was it your father that gave you that scar on your back?" he asked, unsure if it was an okay question to ask. The frown on Sasuke's face seemed permanent at that point. The dark haired man only nodded, but didn't explain. He didn't think that Naruto needed to hear all of the details as to how badly he'd been abused. He had scars, both physical and emotional, and they would never fully go away.

There was a knock on the door; ruining what Naruto felt like was a moment. He knew that at that point they were really good friends, or else Sasuke wouldn't have told him anything. "Come in," Naruto called, letting some extra space between him and Sasuke.

Suigetsu opened the door and looked at the two, wondering why Naruto was on Sasuke's bed. Sasuke didn't let many people close, emotionally or physically, so it made him wonder if he were interrupting something. "Hey," he said to both of them. "Can I talk to Sasuke?" he asked, Naruto nodded, but didn't move to leave the room. He moved back to his bed, but not out of the door. "Alone," he added.

"Oh, right," Naruto, said, quickly standing up. "Sorry," he said, making his way out the door, figuring that he could go to talk to Kiba.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked, wondering why Suigetsu would want to talk alone.

"I'm so confused," Suigetsu told him, which made Sasuke look at him, shocked. "I don't mean sexually," he glared. "Karin," he clarified. "She's confusing the hell out of me," he told him.

"That's not surprising," Sasuke said under his breath, but Suigetsu still heard it.

"Shut up," he huffed as he sat on Naruto's bed. "I'm serious. It's like one minute she acts like a normal girlfriend and the next she's cold towards me," he started explaining. "I just don't understand what the hell went wrong or what I did," he frowned.

"You should have let Naruto stay, he'd probably be better with relationship crap than I am," Sasuke told him, pointing out that he hadn't had many relationships of any sort. "Plus, I don't like girls, how am I supposed to help you with one? And don't say it's because I'm gay, because not all gay men act like women," he threatened.

"Even though your hair would say otherwise," he grinned, pointing out Sasuke's hairstyle. "I wasn't going to say that though," he quickly said, not wanting the other man to punch him. "I was asking because you are one of my closest friends and I can't really ask Juugo about it, he's practically asexual," he told him.

"What am I supposed to tell you?" he asked. "Talk to her, she's the only who can tell you what's wrong," he sighed. "You didn't forget your anniversary right? Cause if you did you're just lucky to be alive right now," he smirked as Suigetsu shook his head. "I still don't know why you had to send Naruto out of the room," he said, not meaning to say it out loud.

"Well if I didn't then all of your attention would be on him," he smirked. "And how hot you think he is," he then added just to make Sasuke angry. "Even with him out of the room your attention was still on him. Are you starting to have a crush on him?" he chuckled.

"Shut up," the other responded. "If you don't want something thrown at your head, then I suggest that you just shut up," he told him, slightly annoyed. "And get out," he instructed.

"Sorry princess," he said as he got up. "I didn't realize the subject of Naruto and your crush was so off limits," he chuckled. By the glare he was receiving from Sasuke, he knew it'd be best if he left. "See you later," he said as he walked out of the door.

**NS**

Naruto was walking down the hall toward Kiba's room. He needed Kiba to get what Sasuke told him off his mind. However, a timid Hinata intercepted the blond. "Hi," she stuttered.

"Hey Hinata, what's up?" he said in response with a smile. He wasn't sure why she was stuttering. He thought that she had gotten over her stutter in high school.

"I," she started a little shaky. "I wanted to tell you," she continued to stutter; it was actually getting worse as she talked. She hesitated a moment before stuttering out, "I love you." Her face was as red as a tomato and she wasn't the least bit confident when talking to him.

He wasn't quite sure what to say. Naruto didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he also didn't have any feelings towards her. He knew he had to phrase his words carefully, "I'm sorry Hinata." The blond was calm and gentle when speaking to her, "I only see you as a friend." He didn't know any way to say it with out hurting her feelings, which disappointed him. "I'm gay, remember?" he said, feeling very uncomfortable.

"I see," she said timidly, stuttering slightly. "I have to go," she quickly hurried off to what he could only guess was her room. She already wasn't a confident girl and he had a feeling that he had probably just made it worse. Furthermore he hated the idea that his best friend's crush liked him instead.

Naruto knew he couldn't talk to Kiba about what had just happened, it'd crush him. And he didn't really want to talk to anyone in his group since the only ones that may give good advice, couldn't keep a secret. He decided the only person he could talk to about it was Sasuke and so he made his way back to his room. Instead of going to Kiba's he decided it was probably best that he went back to his room until he could sort things out. He didn't care if Suigetsu had sent him away, it was his room and he needed to talk to Sasuke.

**NS**

Naruto was happy that it was only Sasuke in the room when he walked back in. He wasn't sure if Suigetsu would tell anyone and he didn't want to take the chance. He figured that it was probably fine either way since Suigetsu knew Sasuke's secret, but he didn't want to take any chances of it possibly getting back to Kiba.

"That was fast," Sasuke said, looking at Naruto as he walked in the door. He figured that the blond wouldn't be back for a good hour or so. "Usually you and Kiba talk like two teenage girls at a sleepover," he smirked, hoping the conversation wouldn't go back to where it had left off.

"I didn't actually get to Kiba's room," he replied. After a moment of realization what Sasuke had said, he quickly added, "And we are not like two teenage girls." He decided to lie on his own bed and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Why not? Did you two get into a lover's quarrel?" he teased. Naruto shot a glare at him, causing Sasuke to chuckle. "Just tell me what happened so I can go take my shower," he said as he started to pick out a pair of pajamas.

"Hinata told me that she loves me," Naruto told him.

"So what? If you don't feel the same, just tell her," he shrugged not seeing the big deal. "She'll get over it," he said setting his pajamas on the top of the dresser. He didn't see why it was such a big deal that a girl liked him. Sasuke had turned down plenty of women but most of them seemed to get over it eventually.

"That's not the problem," he said, while sitting up. "If that were the problem then there would be no problem," he frowned. "The problem is, that the girl Kiba likes is in love with me," he said. He was trying to get Sasuke to understand his dilemma, hoping that he could be of some help.

"Oh," Sasuke said. He remembered when Karin thought she was in love with him before she started dating Suigetsu. "Do you guys really talk much?" he asked.

"Not really, why?" Naruto answered, wondering where Sasuke was going with the question.

"Well," he started. "If you don't really talk, then she can't know that much about you," he pointed out. "Maybe she doesn't love you, but instead the idea of you," Sasuke said, leaning against the dresser as he looked at Naruto. He knew from experience that people might like the person from what they picture in their head.

"I hope you're right," Naruto frowned. "Otherwise it's going to break Kiba's heart," he said sadly. "And to think that he was thinking about telling her how he feels," he said, not expecting an answer.

"You should tell him," Sasuke suggested. "It may not be what he wants to hear, but it's better than him being rejected in public," he said. "Just give him a heads up so that he doesn't make an ass out of himself," he added as he grabbed his clothes and headed for the bathroom. "Now that, that is over, I'm going to take a shower," he said, ending the conversation.

Naruto watched as he went, disappointed that he'd remembered to take his clothes with him. He lay back once again and thought, _'I can't tell Kiba; it'd crush him.' _He didn't want to be the one to hurt his best friend and he thought the best way to avoid doing so would be to not tell him.

**TBC…**

**Let me know what you think :) I changed what I was going to write for Karin and Suigetsu's problem, you'll find out in the next chapter…can anyone guess why she's being distant?**

**Please review**


	16. Breathe

**This is based off of an Anberlin song **

**As always I own nothing, enjoy and please review…I added some things from what I had in my outline so I hope it turns out okay**

**Chapter 16: Breathe**

Sasuke was going over his notes for what had to be the hundredth time that week. He was panicked because it was the week before midterms. He felt very unprepared because he hadn't been paying as much attention as he usually would. Between his roommate, brother, and the drama regarding Yukio he'd been too distracted. He was quickly reading and adding notes to the already detailed ones.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto smiled as he walked into their room. He was ready to go out and have fun, but the look on Sasuke's face told him that the other man had other ideas. "What's up?" he asked as he walked over toward the Uchiha. When he leaned over him to look at what he was studying, Sasuke suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

Perhaps it was the fact that he liked the feel of Naruto's breath against the back of his neck that disturbed him. He took a deep breath, already feeling distracted by the blonde's actions. "I'm studying," he told him, moving away so that the blond wasn't hovering directly above him. "Go away," he demanded, not wanting any distractions.

"I don't think that I've seen you put a text book down all week," he responded as he grabbed the book out of his hand. "How much more could you possibly need know?" he asked, smirking at the angry look he was receiving. "Come out with me and my friends," he said with a smile. "It's not good to over study," he argued, though Sasuke didn't look convinced. "I'm serious, if you don't know it now then you aren't going to know it on Monday," he said, knowing that Sasuke was smart enough that he probably didn't need to study at all.

"I can't," Sasuke said as he tried to get his book back from Naruto. The blond continually moved it out of his reach, causing them to be in very close proximity. "My brother will be disappointed if I let my grades slip," he said, hoping that using the brother card would work.

"I think he'd also want you to have fun," Naruto smiled as he continued to move the book, frustrating Sasuke. "Come on, it'll be fun. You need to loosen up, get your mind off of school," Sasuke couldn't deny that his brother thought that he needed to make friends and have fun. He also refused to let the blond know that he was right.

The dark haired man finally got to the point that he shoved Naruto against the closest wall, "Give me back my fucking book." His demands were only met with a pleased look. As Sasuke assessed the situation he realized how it could be confused as sexual, he just hoped that none of their friends walked in.

"I didn't know it was a book about fucking," the blond teased as he stuck the book between him and the wall. He knew that Sasuke probably wouldn't reach around him to grab it. He didn't seem like a man that liked to hug and him trying to get the book would put them in that situation. "I would have asked to borrow it if I had known that," he continued with his teasing.

"I'm serious Naruto," Sasuke said, still pinning him against the wall. Part of him found that he liked having the blond in that position, though it didn't seem like Naruto agreed. Before he knew it, he heard his book fall to the floor as the other man pinned him to the wall. The blond was holding each of his hands against the wall, as if trying to show his dominance. Another part of him liked that position a lot better.

Before either of them could say anything else, the door opened. Karin was standing in the doorway, a shocked look on her face. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked, a knowing look in her eyes. She knew that it wouldn't be long before they were together.

Naruto wanted to say yes, but Sasuke quickly jumped in by saying, "No, you weren't." He used Naruto's distracted state to get away and grab his book off of the floor. "What did you need?" he asked, trying not to think about what could have happened, or more what he wanted to have happened.

"Are you sure? Because I can come back later," she told him. She could see that the blond was disappointed with the fact that she was there.

"He was just trying to convince me to go out with him and his friends later," Sasuke said, later realizing that he probably wasn't helping the situation. "He had my book hostage," he added, though the same look stayed on her face.

"The book that was on the floor?" she asked, amused by the situation. When Sasuke sent her a nasty look she dropped the conversation and said, "I need advice." When Naruto didn't show any sign of leaving she added, "Can I talk to him alone?"

"Only if you can get him to agree to go out later," he told her, knowing that she probably could.

They were both looking at Sasuke expecting an answer. He looked at Karin and could tell that if he said no then there would be consequences. He wasn't afraid of her but he knew not to make her mad. She may seem harmless, but looks were deceiving. "Fine, just go away," he said, knowing that he could study when he was done talking to Karin.

"Awesome," Naruto cheered. He started walking out, but he turned around and said, "Make sure you're ready by nine." Before leaving he flashed his infamous smile, one that made butterflies rise in Sasuke's stomach. Naruto left, closing the door behind him.

It took a minute for Sasuke to remember that Karin was there. He looked at her, ready for her to talk. He wondered why people came to him for advice; it wasn't as if he had good people skills. "You can't tell Suigetsu," she told him before starting the full conversation.

"What's going on?" he asked, suddenly curious as to what she was hiding. He had a feeling that it had something to do with why she was being cold toward him. She licked her lips, unsure if she should tell him. She trusted Sasuke but she knew that Suigetsu was his best friend. "I promise that I won't tell," he said, knowing that it was what she needed to hear.

She took a deep breath, knowing that the only way to tell him was to just come out and say it, "I'm pregnant." She saw Sasuke's eyes widen and quickly added, "Don't worry, it's Suigetsu's, I'm not having an affair." He nodded, not sure what to tell the girl. "I just don't know what to do," she was almost crying. "I know he's not ready for a kid, how can I tell him that I'm pregnant?" she held back her tears.

Sasuke wasn't good when it came to emotions, let alone crying girls. "Karin, you have to tell him," he told her. He frowned, knowing that it wasn't what she wanted to hear. "He needs to know," he emphasized. "I mean he'll find out eventually," he pointed out.

"Not if I get an abortion," she said timidly. She never thought that she'd have to make a choice, but it was presented right in front of her. "I'm only eighteen, how can I have a kid?" she said, knowing that it wouldn't be answered. "What if he doesn't want it and leaves me?" she asked, knowing that Sasuke was going to let her keep going until she got all of her insecurities out. She knew he usually wouldn't, but she had been one of his few friends that knew all of his and would always listen. "I live in the dorms, not really the ideal place to have a baby. Hell I don't even know if you _can_ have one while living in the dorms," she continued. "I don't even have a steady job. What am I supposed to do?" she cried.

"I think that this is a discussion that you need to have with Suigetsu," he told her, knowing that he couldn't give her all of the answers that she needed. "He won't leave you," he assured, knowing his friend wasn't that much of an asshole. He wasn't sure if he had helped, but he knew at that point that the conversation was over.

**NS**

Sasuke sat at the bar, beer in hand, wondering how the hell Naruto got him to go out. He didn't want to think about it, mostly because it just made him think about the incident that morning. Naruto sat next to him, "Hey." He looked around at all of his friends, seeing that everyone was enjoying the night. "Loosen up," he said as he pat him on the back. "Everyone else is having fun," he pointed out.

"Everyone else is a lot more drunk than I am," he replied and Naruto knew that he was right. The only person not drinking but still having fun was Karin, who was talking with all of the girls and avoiding Suigetsu. "Come dance with me," he smiled as he pulled Sasuke out of his chair.

The dark haired man wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was drinking or Naruto's smile that made him agree but he downed his drink and followed Naruto out to the dance floor. The blond quickly took the lead as their friends watched in amusement. Neither of the men seemed to care that they were being watched; in fact it seemed to only encourage the blond.

He ran his hands down Sasuke's sides, swaying their hips together. Part of him wanted to start kissing down Sasuke's neck, but he knew that they were just friends and it would be completely inappropriate. The blond was starting to think that the universe hated him because every time Sasuke seemed to be getting closer to Naruto, something would happen. At that moment it was Kiba, or more everyone's reactions to what had just happened.

They looked over at the bar to see Hinata silently staring at the brunet. "I'm serious," he told her, thinking that she might have taken his confession as a joke. "I really like you," he said, hoping that she'd reciprocate his feelings.

"I," she started to stutter. Kiba had a feeling that it wasn't a good sign; she had stopped stuttering around him a long time ago. "I'm sorry," she said, not looking directly at him. She looked over at Naruto as she said, "I like someone else." She was stuttering the entire time and feeling horrible. After she told him she quickly turned and left, trying to pretend that the conversation never happened. Kiba looked to what she had been staring at and realized that Hinata was in love with his best friend.

At that point Sasuke stopped dancing and pulled Naruto off of the dance floor. "You didn't tell him?" he asked, trying to be quiet about it because he knew that it would make Kiba angry to find out that his best friend knew and didn't tell him. "I told you that something like this would happen," he said as he looked over at Kiba. The man looked crushed and embarrassed.

"I know," Naruto said as he nervously ran a hand behind his neck. "I just didn't know how to," he said, feeling horrible that his best friend had been embarrassed in front of all of their friends and an entire club full of strangers.

"Go talk to him, he seems like he needs a friend right now," Sasuke said, annoyed about the situation.

Naruto frowned, wishing that he had told Kiba. If he had told him then he'd still be dancing with Sasuke, or perhaps further. _'The universe hates me,'_ he thought as he walked toward his friend. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he knew that he had to comfort him. As Sasuke had pointed out, it was his fault that Kiba was in the situation in the first place.

He took a deep breath before walking over to the brunet. "Hey," he said, trying to choose his words carefully. "I, uh, saw what happened," he said, feeling very uncomfortable. The worst part was that he could have prevented it, though he knew that he couldn't admit that to Kiba.

"I think that everyone saw," Kiba replied bitterly. He couldn't believe it; he'd never been so humiliated in his life. "I really thought that she liked me," he told the blond. Naruto just nodded, not sure what else to say. He let the other man talk it out, but wasn't sure what advice he could give him. He wasn't sure what he could do to make it better, especially since he was partially to blame.

**TBC…**

**I was going to add something about Sakura and Lee but I felt that it didn't really fit with the chapter…**

**This chapter kind of wrote itself so let me know what you think of it **


	17. Falling For You

**As always I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**This was inspired by the Collibe Callat song**

**Chapter 17: Falling For You**

Naruto thought that after being halfway through the semester he wouldn't meet anyone new in one of his classes. He had made friends in his classes, but none that were the kind that he'd hang out with outside of class. However, on the Monday after midterms, that changed. He sat in his usual seat, though moments later someone sat down beside him. Usually the seat was left open, but the guy changed that. He had dark hair and pale skin, like Sasuke, but he didn't find him the least bit attractive. "Hey," he smiled, trying to be friendly.

The man looked at him as if he weren't sure what to say. His look made Naruto a little nervous, but he soon realized that the guy was analyzing the situation. It was as if he'd had no social interaction whatsoever. Most people would just respond with a hello, but he had a feeling that the guy next to him was very different.

"Hello," the man said with a fake smile. He looked Naruto up and down and asked, "So what are you over compensating for?" The question shocked the blond, confused as to what he meant. He understood the question but he didn't feel as if he were over compensating for anything.

"Excuse me?" he asked, obviously offended. The man didn't seem affected by his tone. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked loudly. He was angry, but the other man didn't seem to care.

"Well," the man started. "I've seen you thus far the semester," he told him, which made Naruto wonder if the guy had been watching him. "You're overly loud and obviously spend a lot of time on your looks, so I was just wondering what you were trying to hide," he told him. "I'm guessing it's a small dick," he informed them, which angered the blonde further. The man nodded and said, "I'm going to call you dick-less." He was smiling as if it weren't an insult, which annoyed the blond.

"I have a name," he said, not wanting to be called dick-less the rest of the semester. "My name is Naruto," he stated.

The man just shrugged and replied by saying, "I know, you introduced yourself to the class at the beginning of the semester." His reply just made it worse in Naruto's eyes. "I'm Sai," he told him. "Just incase you forgot, you seem like the type that would," he blatantly stated.

"If you know my name then why the hell would you call me dick-less?" he questioned, trying to be quiet about the nickname. The other man's mannerisms were confirming his suspicion that Sai had no social skills.

"Because I have a feeling that it's true," he told him. Naruto didn't reply, but instead let out a frustrated sigh as he ran his hands along his face before resting his chin in the palm of his right hand. At that point he was wishing that he'd sat anywhere but in the seat he was currently occupying. "The rest of this semester should be interesting," Sai said, earning a confused look from Naruto. "I'm glad that we're friends now, dick-less," he smiled once again.

Naruto looked at him as he was crazy, but Sai didn't seem to notice. _'Note to self: never start conversations with a random guy unless he's hot,' _he thought as he looked at Sai. He wondered how the rest of the semester would be like and just hoped that the guy only talked to him in class.

Once class was over, the guy followed him as Naruto walked toward his dorm. "Did you need something?" he asked das the guy continued to walk with him. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long second half of the semester.

"No," he smiled, not understanding that Naruto was annoyed with him. "Friends hang out together right?" he asked as if it were a genuine question. At that point Naruto realized that the man really didn't have much social interaction and started pity the man. He just nodded, letting Sai follow.

As he walked toward the dorms he saw Sasuke and some of his other friends talking at an outside table. It surprised him that the dark haired man was actually talking to his friends, but then realized that he wasn't. Sasuke was sitting reading a book while Suigetsu talked to his friends. _'Should have known,'_ the blond thought as he headed toward the table. "Hey guys," he smiled, causing Sasuke to look up. "This is Sai," he motioned toward the other man, hoping that his new nickname wouldn't be brought up.

Sasuke started to glare at the man standing next to the blond. It annoyed him how happy Sai seemed to be while standing next to Naruto. He wasn't sure why, but it suddenly felt like a competition. He knew that he shouldn't think that since he still refused to fully accept that he were attracted to the blond and seeing the man as competition would force him to acknowledge his feelings. The thought still didn't stop him from immediately disliking the man.

Suigetsu could sense Sasuke's feelings. He could tell that the Uchiha hated him and he knew why. He just smirked and couldn't help but think that the two looked somewhat alike. He knew that Sasuke must really like Naruto if he already hated Sai. Usually Sasuke would be indifferent toward a new person, but the death glare that Sasuke was sending him told him that the other man was definitely not indifferent. "You guys kind of look alike," he told Sasuke quietly, but Karin heard.

The redheaded girl just laughed and said, "Yeah, Sasuke two point o." Her good mood surprised Suigetsu. He looked at her and wondered why she was having such mood swings. One minute they'd be fine and the next she'd be annoyed or distant. She seemed fine in groups, but when they were alone she suddenly didn't want to talk, it confused him.

"Yeah right," Sasuke mumbled. He continued to glare at the man, though it didn't make Sai appear uncomfortable. He knew that he shouldn't be jealous, that there was no indication that Naruto even liked Sai, but he still felt the emotion surface. He couldn't help but think that if Sai was Sasuke two-point o, then the second version of him was a downgrade.

Sai noticed the look that Sasuke was giving him, but didn't care. "I met dick-less in English," he informed the group. It was obvious that Naruto was embarrassed, but Kiba was laughing hysterically. Everyone else was trying, but failing, to keep the laughing quiet.

The statement amused Sasuke, though he still hated Sai. "Dick-less?" he questioned as he looked at Naruto. "Is there something you aren't telling us Naruto?" he asked, somewhat mocking the blond.

"I've done nothing to make him think that I don't have a dick," Naruto said, angry that Sai had used the nickname. "He just started calling me it and he hardly knows me," he said, looking at Sasuke. He wasn't sure why Sasuke had the look of pure hate on his face when he looked at Sai. The nicknamed had stopped bothering him and he wouldn't have cared if Sasuke hadn't been there. However, Sasuke had heard the nickname and so he felt the need to explain himself. "Really, I have a dick," he told his friends, some of who were still laughing a little. "I show you all right now if you want," he said as he started to unbuckle his pants.

At his statement, Sasuke looked away, biting his bottom lip. He knew that Naruto probably wouldn't actually pull his penis out and show everyone, but he also knew that anything was possible when it involved the blond. "Please don't," Kiba said, mildly disgusted. "No one wants to see that," he said and Sasuke was thankful when the blond buckled his pants.

The conversation switched when Sakura asked, "So are you single?" Sasuke rolled his eyes at her question. She was staring at the man with the same look that she used to give him. Apparently after a million times of tell her that he's gay she finally got the hint. "Because I am," she told him as she wrapped a piece of hair around her finger.

"I'm single," Lee enthusiastically stated as he looked at her. Naruto just chuckled at the scene in front of him. Sakura seemed disgusted by the thought of dating Lee, while Sai didn't even seem to understand what she meant.

"She was talking to you," Naruto told Sai. He still didn't respond, so Naruto said quietly,

"She wants to know if you're dating anyone, you should answer her."

"No, I'm not dating anyone," he told the group, which made Sasuke once again glare at him. He seemed clueless as to why she was asking and Naruto was staring to believe that he was faking it. The blond didn't believe that anyone could be that socially inept. He thought that he'd met the person with the worse social skills when he met Sasuke, but apparently he was wrong.

"Please tell me that you're not gay," she smiled, continuing to play with her hair. She looked at Naruto and Sasuke, knowing that the two were gay. Sakura thought that she didn't need another good-looking gay friend.

"I don't know," Sai said as he looked at the group. "I've never kissed a guy so I can't be sure," he explained. When he looked at Naruto, Sasuke felt his jealousy rising again. It was at that point that Suigetsu thought the Uchiha was going to attack.

The look on the young Uchiha's face made Suigetsu want to antagonize him. He smiled as he suggested, "Well, Naruto's gay. Maybe he could help you figure out your sexuality." After he said it, he somewhat regretted it because the look on Sasuke's face told him that he might be at the very least punched.

"No," Naruto objected very quickly. "I will not be some test subject," he told them. He was staring at Sasuke, watching his reactions closely. His shoulders seemed to relax at Naruto's words. He also noticed that the glare on Sasuke's face didn't disappear. He may have relaxed but he was still glaring at Sai.

At that point Sasuke decided that he was done with the conversation. He got up and grabbed his books, "I'm going to go. I need to study." He didn't want to face his feelings, but a certain new member of the group was forcing him to. Before Sai came along he didn't have to think about it, but now he was jealous and there was no denying it.

Naruto watched Sasuke's retreating form and frowned. He wanted to call out to the other man and tell him that he had nothing to worry about. The problem was that he had no idea whether the other man hated Sai because he hated new people in general, or if it was because he saw him as a threat. He was hoping for the latter, but he couldn't be certain. He frowned, wishing that he could just kiss the man and get it over with, but he didn't want to ruin their friendship.

**NS**

Sasuke sat across from his brother, though his mind was still concentrating on Naruto. "What's bothering you?" Itachi asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Is it the roommate again?" he asked. "Naruto, that's his name right?" he asked, certain that he was right.

"Yeah, that's his name," Sasuke replied. He wasn't sure how to phrase his thoughts, but he knew that no matter what Itachi would see right through him. "Naruto met a new friend," he informed him, the bitterness evident in his voice. "I don't like him," he clarified.

"I could tell," Itachi said, somewhat amused. If it were going where he thought then he knew that his brother was in way deeper than he thought. "Do you have a reason for hating him?" he asked, curious as to what the new man may have done. "Did he hurt you?" he asked, suddenly going into protective older brother mode. While he thought that it had something to do with the roommate, he wasn't going to rule out that someone might be hurting, or threatening to hurt, his little brother.

"No he didn't hurt me," Sasuke calmed his fears. "I don't really know why I dislike him," the younger Uchiha admitted. He didn't meet Itachi's gaze, knowing that his brother would automatically know, at times he thought his brother could read his mind. "I just got a bad vibe from him," he stated lamely. He looked back up at his brother and he knew that Itachi didn't believe him. "Everyone kept saying how much we looked alike, I think they are crazy," he mumbled, causing Itachi to chuckle.

"You're jealous," Itachi stated. It made sense to him that Sasuke would become insecure and jealous if he felt as if he were being replaced. "It's okay to be jealous," he told him. "It's perfectly natural," he added, watching his brother carefully. He could tell that the younger man had been conflicted.

"I," he started, not sure what exactly he was going to say. He let out a deep breath, knowing that he couldn't hide it from his brother. "I _might_ have a little crush on him," he admitted. He was silent for a while, but Itachi knew that he was going to say something else so he didn't interrupt. "It's just," he frowned, trying to make the words come out. "You know how bad I am with people," he said quietly.

"You think it's going to be a repeat of Yukio," he deduced. He frowned, knowing that he was right. The look on Sasuke's face gave away all of his emotions. "You're not fifteen," he told him.

"What does my age have anything to do with it?" Sasuke asked. Just because he was older didn't necessarily mean that he had learned how to read people any better. He had thought that he knew Yukio, but he was soon proved wrong.

"You were naïve when you were younger," he told him, though Sasuke's expression didn't change. "With Yukio, it went from one day you admitting to me that you like him and the next telling me that you started dating him," he explained. "But with this guy you're friends," he let a small smile grace his lips. "I've never heard you talk so much about any one person," he told him, causing Sasuke to blush in the process. "I think that you're ready to move on," he said, though Sasuke didn't reply. Their time was almost up for the night and he had left Sasuke with a lot to think about.

**NS**

Sasuke laid on his bed with his eyes closed, not sure what do. He couldn't deny that he was attracted to Naruto. He also couldn't deny that he was jealous when he met Sai. Even more so, he was finding it hard to deny that he had a crush on the blond. _'Damn it,'_ he thought as he realized that Itachi was right. The problem was what he was going to do about his crush. He wondered how much longer he could hold it in.

The dark haired man frowned as he let out a sigh. He looked around the room, happy that Naruto wasn't there. He needed to figure out his feelings and he knew that the blond would only try to talk him into telling him what he was thinking about. Sasuke knew he couldn't just make a move or tell him what he felt; instead he was going to have to test the waters.

**TBC…**

**I'm not sure that I like how this one ended, but let me know what you think…**


	18. Too Pretty

**As always, I own nothing, enjoy and please review…**

**Based off a song by State of Shock and slightly, very slightly, off of Paralyzer by Finger Eleven **

**I wanted to post this earlier but I've struggling to write the next chapter…it still isn't written mainly because I'm not sure how good of a chapter it'll make…it'll probably be short…**

**Anyway, I love this song…It doesn't really suit the chapter very well, except for maybe the chorus, but the title works so I used it…**

**Also, I posted a new one-shot the other day, it's kind of depressing but I kind of like it so if you haven't read it then it'd be appreciated if you did…another one-shot may be coming soon…I have too many ideas in my head right now...**

**Chapter 18: Too Pretty**

Naruto smiled as he walked toward his dorm. It had been a good day and he wouldn't let anything ruin that. One of the good things that happened was that Sai had stopped acting so creepy. The guy was still weird, but he seemed to have his eye on someone in the group, and it was a girl so he knew that he had nothing to worry about, he knew that he didn't like him. "Go for it," he told Sai as they went separate ways, though the other man looked doubtful. He knew that Sai had little to no social skills, but Naruto was going to try to help him get over it.

When the blond walked into his room he found Sasuke lying on his own bed, shirtless. He looked incredibly sexy in that moment. He was only wearing a pair of low sitting, loose jeans as he read a book. Naruto wanted to rip the book out of his hand and ravish him, but he knew that it'd be crossing the line of friendship. He felt his heart rate increase and he couldn't help but stare at the man, wondering if it were some kind of dream.

Sasuke looked up from his book, knowing that the blond was staring at him. "Hey Naruto," he said before going back to his book. He smirked, loving the reaction that he was getting.

"Hey," he said, somewhat in a state of shock. He was ready to pinch himself just to make sure that it wasn't some sort of dream. Then he admitted to himself that if it were a dream then Sasuke would be trying to lure him into his bed. The dark haired man would already be stripping him of his clothes and kissing him. He realized that his imagination was a bad thing as his body had already started to react to the images his thoughts were creating.

"You've been quiet," Sasuke causally pointed out. "Did you have a bad day?" he asked, knowing that his actions were confusing his roommate. He knew that not only was it because he was half naked, but also because he was being uncharacteristically talkative, and perhaps a little nicer. He knew that he wasn't truly being nice, after all he was trying to get a reaction out of the blond.

"Yeah," Naruto answered. He took a deep breath, knowing that he couldn't stay in the room much longer without doing something that he may regret. "I just need a shower," he said, trying to clam his heart. _'A very cold shower,'_ he added mentally.

Sasuke's eyes followed the blond as he walked toward the bathroom. "Okay, if you say so," he replied, still staring at him. His eyes were piercing, causing the blond to wonder what he was up to. He smirked as the bathroom door shut, deciding that he liked getting a reaction from the blond.

In the bathroom, Naruto leaned over the sink, calming himself down. He silently wondered if Sasuke had realized that he was aroused. He then thought that Sasuke would have said something if he had noticed. _'Is he trying to do this to me?'_ he wondered as he splashed water onto his face. He turned on the shower as he stripped himself of his clothes. He looked at his clothes before getting into the shower and decided that he was going to get revenge on Sasuke.

Sasuke went back to reading his book, pleased with his own actions. _'This might be fun,'_ he thought as he glanced back up at the bathroom door. However, the fun stopped when Naruto stepped out of the bathroom moments later. He wasn't expecting the blond to come out in a rather small towel. It then seemed that the tables were turned.

'_Revenge is sweet,'_ Naruto thought as he looked over at Sasuke. His eyes were dilated and he seemed to completely ignore the book in his hand. He smirked when Sasuke conveniently bent his leg as if he were trying to hide a certain problem. "Sorry, I forgot some new clothes," he told him.

'_He's shameless,'_ Sasuke thought as he watched the blond get dressed and took his time doing so. The dark haired man didn't look away, nor did he pretend that he wasn't staring. Naruto basked in the glory of having his roommate's eyes on him with a somewhat lusty look in them. However, both of them were thinking that the attraction from the other was just physical. They were friends and both thought that was what the other thought of them, and both were going to try to change that perception.

**NS**

Sasuke made an excuse to leave the room, putting on a shirt and quickly heading out. As he walked around campus, he ran into Karin and Sakura. Both girls could tell that he was worked up and both wanted to find out why. "You okay Sasuke?" Karin asked, thinking that she knew the reason why he was so worked up.

"Yeah, I just needed to get out of my room," he replied. He hoped that his words didn't give him away, but soon realized that they had. As Karin and Sakura looked at each other, he knew that he was going to get interrogated.

"You like him," Sakura stated, all of them knowing exactly who she was talking about. "Don't deny it," she demanded before Sasuke could say another word. He then didn't even try to deny it, but instead stood still and silent in front of the girls.

"This is going to be so much fun," Karin said as she stood up. She looked the man up and down and realized that his every day clothes did nothing for his body. "We need to go shopping," she said as Sakura nodded in agreement. The pink haired girl knew that she had no chance with him so she figured that she might as well help out her friend.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke asked, not liking where the conversation was going. He felt that he had no reason to go shopping, but apparently the girls in front of him disagreed. Part of him wanted to object, but he knew that when a girl was on a mission there was no way to get out of whatever they were planning.

Sakura smiled at his reaction, knowing that it was going to be fun to dress Sasuke up. "You may know how to dress sexy when we go out, but you need a few tips when it comes to everyday wear," she informed him. "So grab your wallet and lets go," she said as she stood up. The two girls started to pull him toward the parking lot and Sasuke groaned as he wondered what he had gotten himself into.

When they got to the store, the girls immediately started to go through the racks of clothing, every so often handing him things to hold. _'Damn women,'_ he thought as he stood there watching. He wasn't weak, he knew that he could probably get away from the girls if he wanted, however, he also knew that he wanted to really attract Naruto and that the right clothes may help.

Once they were done it was time for Sasuke to try them on. The girls sat in the waiting area out side the dressing room, anticipating what the man would look like. "I look ridiculous," he stated as he walked out of the dressing room. He didn't like how tight the shirt was, nor how much skin it was showing with the v-neck. He didn't think that it was anything like him; just because he was gay it didn't mean that he had to dress like it.

"You look hot," Karin told him. "Naruto's going to drool over you," she said excitedly.

"I don't have my hopes up," Sasuke mumbled as he played with the hem of the shirt. Karin then realized that insecurities were starting to show. "Even if he does think that I'm hot, I'm not going to expect him to like me," he mumbled, wanting the shopping trip to be over.

"Why wouldn't he want you?" Sakura demanded. She wouldn't believe that any straight girl or gay guy wouldn't want the dark haired man. He was gorgeous anyone could see that. However, she knew that he didn't want someone that only liked him for his looks. She knew that he and Naruto had a good friendship so she didn't understand why he thought that Naruto wouldn't want a relationship with him. In that moment it was evident just how much his past relationships had scarred him.

"I have _a lot_ of issues," Sasuke told them. He was sure that all of his issues would drive anyone away. Relationships were easy to start, but difficult to continue. They might start with equal attraction, but sooner or later he felt that his issues would become too much for the blond. "He could have anyone that he wants," Sasuke continued. "Why would he want someone like me?" he asked, making the girls realize that he wasn't nearly as confident as he acted.

"He obviously still likes you if he's still your friend," Karin pointed out. "He's been your roommate for over half a semester, if you haven't driven him away by now, I don't think you ever will," she smiled, trying to reassure her friend. By the look on his face she could tell that he wasn't completely sure. Karin knew about all of the issues he had, but she didn't believe that it would scare Naruto away. The man hadn't gone through all of that trouble just to run when he found out Sasuke's issues.

"I agree," Sakura said. She let her eyes scan over his body, taking in just how attractive he was. "You say that he could have anyone, well news flash, so can you," she informed him, making him feel slightly uncomfortable. He didn't like the look she was giving him, but he knew that she was aware he was gay and had finally given up. "If anything you're too pretty for him," she smiled, not realizing that she may not have phrased it the best way.

"Did you just call me _pretty_?" Sasuke asked, clearly annoyed. He didn't think he was pretty. Pretty was a term that he associated with women, not men. At that point he decided that he'd had enough of shopping. "Don't answer that," he demanded before she could say anything. "I'm done shopping," he told them as he walked back into the dressing room.

**NS**

Sakura smiled as she walked through the campus. She was happy that she'd gotten Sasuke to go shopping, even if everything hadn't gone perfectly. As she walked toward her dorm room she saw Hinata sitting by herself, studying. This only made her happier as she thought, _'Well, I might as well continue my match making skills.'_

She walked toward her ready to talk about what happened the other night at the club. "Hey Hinata," she said as she sat down across from the other girl. "Can we talk?" she asked, which worried Hinata.

"Of course," the dark haired girl replied. She shut her book to give the pink haired girl her full attention. "What's going on?" she asked, confused as to what Sakura could possibly want to talk about. She was worried that she had done something and didn't even realize it, which she hoped was not the case.

"Kiba," Sakura said simply. She saw the girl tense, but she wasn't going to give up. "I think you should give him a chance," she told her, but saw the doubt written on her face. Before she could respond, the pink haired girl said, "You guys are great friends." She looked at Hinata and tried to explain it to her, "You guys would be a great couple. He obviously likes you and even if you don't realize it, you flirt with him every time we go out."

"I don't flirt," she stuttered as a blush crossed her face. She didn't want to believe that she had been leading her friend on. She had just been talking to him, that didn't mean that she was flirting. They were just friends, she didn't like him in that way. Right? At that point she wasn't as sure as she'd like to be.

"Just think about what I said," Sakura said, hoping that she'd at least consider it. She didn't believe that she'd even given him the chance. "I know you like Naruto, but he's gay and I think he likes Sasuke," she told her honestly. "You don't want to miss out on something great just because you're concentrated on a guy you can never have," she said, understanding from experience. She'd realized that she could never be with Sasuke, so she finally gave up the fight. She knew that it was time for her to try to find someone that could actually like her back.

Hinata just nodded as she timidly said, "I'll think about it." Sakura smiled as she stood back up, ready to make her leave. As Hinata watched the other girl go she called out, "Sakura." The pink haired girl turned toward her and Hinata shyly said, "Take your own advice." When Sakura gave her a confused look she said, "Give Lee a chance."

"I'll think about it," Sakura said, giving her the same answer she'd received. "I'll see you later," she added, walking away from Hinata. It was then that she realized that if she didn't give Lee a chance then she was being a bit of a hypocrite. Walking toward her dorm she knew that she had a lot to think about. While she did want to take her own advice, she wasn't sure that she could. It wasn't as if it were Kiba that liked her; at least he was somewhat attractive. It was Lee and she thought that she wasn't her type at all.

**TBC…**

**I'm not sure if I like this chapter or not, let me know what you think…**


	19. Looking For A Good Time

**I'm not sure about this chapter so let me know what you think…**

**As always I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**It's based on the song Looking For A Good Time by Lady Antebellum, though mainly for the song name not the actual song itself**

**Sorry this took so long to update, I was busy and on top of that having a difficult time writing the chapter, so sorry if it didn't turn out very good….**

**It's 12:30 in the morning here so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes that I may have missed, I'm a little tired…**

**Lastly, if I'm taking awhile to post on here, you may want to check my DA account (smiebig) because I am giving journal updates and it may give you some more info as to why I'm not updating or even when to expect an update…**

**Chapter 19: Looking For A Good Time**

Sasuke was lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. Every so often he would look at Naruto, who was actually studying. He knew what he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure when to say it. Blurting out his suggestion would probably surprise the blond and make him wonder why Sasuke made the suggestion. But isn't that why he wanted to do it? He wanted to make Naruto think about him differently and he hoped that it would. Finally he gave in and said, "We should go to a gay bar tonight."

Just like Sasuke thought, the blond was surprised by the suggestion. "Really?" he asked, his studying suddenly forgotten and pushed aside. It wasn't every day that Sasuke suggested that they have fun and Naruto was sure that it probably wouldn't happen again any time soon. "I mean yeah, that sounds great," he smiled, not allowing any time for Sasuke to change his mind.

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded as he became uncertain about his decision. _'What did I just get myself into?'_ he wondered as he started thinking. He wasn't sure what to expect that night and that was what scared him the most.

"Who else is going?" Naruto asked. "We could invite the girls, they seem to like to go," he added, trying to make conversation. "Sakura said something about being able to let their guard down because all of the guys are gay," he told him him, not even sure if Sasuke cared.

"I don't know, whoever wants to go," Sasuke said awkwardly, wishing he had thought it through. He was just testing the waters; he didn't want to make things weird between them, which made him think that he should have thought to invite other people before talking to Naruto about it.

"Cool," the blond replied as he text someone. "I just text Sakura to see if she wants to come," he smiled. "I'll be interesting to see how many lesbians hit on her," he laughed, though Sasuke only replied with a chuckle. "I'll be fun tonight," he smiled.

'_Shit,'_ Sasuke thought when Naruto mentioned Sakura. He knew that she knew about his crush and that she'd probably jump on the opportunity to interfere with his life, or more his love life. He then got a text moment later, _'I'm so coming tonight.'_ He frowned at Karin's text and wondered, _'Since when did those two become friends?'_ He had his suspicions that it was Sakura that told her, considering that Naruto had just text the pink haired girl and he doubted that he'd also text Karin.

**NS**

"I'm going to a gay bar with Sasuke," Naruto told his best friend. Kiba looked disinterested, but he continued to talk, "You want to come?" He knew that Kiba wasn't listening so he wanted to see what kind of a response he'd get.

Kiba looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Do I look like I'd want to go to a gay bar?" he asked, looking disgusted at the idea. "I get hit on by enough guys at a regular bar," he scoffed. "I don't want to know how it'd be if I went to a gay bar," he told him, causing the blond to laugh.

Naruto sat on the bed across from Kiba, "Well you must give off a gay vibe." When Kiba threw a pillow at his head it only caused him to laugh harder. "It's not my fault you see gay to some guys," he smiled. No matter how long he knew the brunet it'd always be fun to get a reaction from him. "Besides, I don't really count one or two guys as a lot," he told him. "I mean that's the total number of times, not just how many per a night," he added with a sly grin.

"Shut up asshole," Kiba mumbled. "And it's been more than two," he added, slightly insulted. He wasn't sure why he was making the argument over how many guys came up to him when they went out; perhaps it was because of his pride. He knew it was more than two, he knew that he was more attractive than that. Then again he also didn't want to be precieved as gay so perhaps it were better if he only had a few come up to him. "You know what, let's forget this conversation ever happened," he decided.

Naruto chuckled, "No need to get so defensive. You know unless you want guys to be attracted to you." Kiba looked around for the closest thing to throw at his best friend but he decided that he probably shouldn't hit his friend with a textbook, so he settled on the pen that sat on top of the book.

"You've got bad aim," Naruto grinned when the pen flew past his head. As soon as the brunet picked up the book with an angry look on his face the blond quickly retracted his words. "I'm kidding," he told him. "Really there is no need to hit me with a book," he said. Kiba put the book down with a triumphant smirk.

**NS**

Sasuke sat on his bed watching the two girls rip through his closet. "I'm perfectly capable of choosing my own clothes. In fact I'm pretty sure you're the ones that told me that I knew how to dress when I went out," he said, wishing the girls would leave. He frowned as they continued to ignore him and pick out his clothing. He sighed, giving up and instead reading the nearest book. "Stupid women," he mumbled to himself as the two girls reminded him of one of the reasons he felt no attraction toward women.

"This is perfect," Karin claimed after about ten minutes of rummaging through the dark haired man's closet. "Put this on," she demanded as she practically threw the clothes at him. Her actions earned her a glare but he didn't protest, knowing the sooner they found him an outfit the sooner they'd leave.

Naruto walked into his room just in time to see Sasuke exit the bathroom. He almost didn't notice the two girls in the room, as he was only staring at Sasuke. There was no doubt that he found Sasuke sexy, but in the form-fitting outfit he had on it only intensified it. The blond figured that by the way the girls were squealing they'd picked the outfit out for him. At that point Naruto wanted to pull the girls into a hug and thank them for picking the outfit, but that'd make things weird.

His blue eyes scanned over Sasuke's body, truly taking it all in. The pale man had on skin tight black jeans that sat low on his hips and Naruto could only imagine how good Sasuke's butt had to look and only hoped he'd get the opportunity to see without being too obvious. The shirt he wore also hugged his body and showed off how fit the guy truly was, especially emphasizing the arm muscles that the other man rarely showed off. It was just short enough that when he lifted his arms the shirt would ride up and show a small expanse of his pale skin. He only found that fact out after Sasuke ripped his arm away from one of the squealing girls as he rolled his eyes.

Naruto bit his lip, trying not to jump the other man, especially not in front of Sakura and Karin. He couldn't help but feel turned on when he saw Sasuke in the girls' outfit of choice for him. It showed off Sasuke's muscles, which Naruto felt needed to bee seen much more often. As he continued to stare he realized that Sasuke had the perfect amount of muscle on him. The man wasn't overtly bulked, but built enough so that it could add to his already attractive features.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura smiled. He assumed that she was pleased by his reaction by the way that she was smiling at him. "Doesn't Sasuke look hot?" she grinned and he knew that she was up to something. "He's considering not wearing it, but _we_ think it's perfect," she told him, knowing that he agreed with her.

"You'll certainly get some attention," he said to Sasuke, hardly able to take his eyes off of him. The only flaw he saw with the other man's outfit was that every other guy in the bar would be staring at him too. "I'm sure you'll get hit on a lot," he told him, trying not to sound as annoyed as he was with the fact that Sasuke would be getting a lot of attention that night. Before the other man could respond, Naruto turned toward the girls and said, "I need to get changed, so you guys need to leave."

The two girls looked at each other, both confused by Naruto's actions. The man was shameless at times, which made his actions confusing. He could see that Sasuke was confused as well, though it made sense since he was confusing himself. He wasn't sure why he wanted the girls to leave, but he knew he had to get them out. They just nodded and eyed him as they left, as if wanting to know what they were going to miss.

When the door closed, Sasuke looked at him and asked, "You feeling okay?" His concern was genuine, which surprised the blond. All he could do was nod and continue to stare at Sasuke. "You sure? Cause you threatened to walk around here naked before," he reminded him, knowing that the man must have had a reason to kick the girls out. "Someone feeling insecure," he chuckled as he turned to walk toward the bathroom.

Naruto took a look at Sasuke's butt and his body moved on its own. "Maybe I just wanted some alone time," he said sexily in the other man's ear. Sasuke turned to look at him and the blond swiftly pushed him against the nearest wall. "Don't you?" he smirked as he could see the lust shining in Sasuke's eyes as well.

He didn't leave room for Sasuke to respond, but instead silenced any response with a kiss. It started off timid and unsure if what he was doing was okay with the other man. However, once Sasuke started participating, it grew passionate quickly. Their tongues intertwined and hands quickly started to roam. When their lips broke apart Naruto started to kiss down Sasuke's neck and loved hearing the sounds the other man emitted. He could feel Sasuke's hand combing through his hair while the other one pulled him incredibly close. "Naruto," he moaned and the blond felt as if he were lost.

"Naruto," Sasuke repeated, only at that point it wasn't a moan but instead a tone of annoyance mixed with concern. "Naruto," he repeated, again it was no longer a moan and suddenly was accompanied by a shake.

The blond blinked and looked at his surroundings. While he was still completely turned on he realized that he wasn't pushed up against Sasuke's body. The other man was standing close, but they weren't kissing, nor did he have Sasuke pushed against a wall. He looked toward the bed and saw the two girls were still in the room. "Fuck," he quietly cursed.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked as he looked at his friend. They were all a little concerned, but both girls were already plotting to use his space out against him, or perhaps in his favor. They gave each other knowing looks and Sasuke knew why, but he chose to ignore it.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded as he backed away a little. "I'm just tired," he lied. "I just need a shower," he added, quickly hurrying into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. "Fuck," he cursed again as he leaned against the door. He looked at the shower as he started to get undressed. He knew that it was going to have to be a very cold shower.

**NS**

They were at the bar and Naruto only found comfort in drinking. He was annoyed and the more he drank the more aggressive he felt. Sasuke and the girls were sitting at the table with him, but that wasn't what bothered him. He was bothered by all of the other guys in the bar. Some of the men were passive and settled on staring at Sasuke, many, however, decided to walk up and blatantly hit on the dark haired man.

A blond walked up and started to hit on Sasuke. "I'm not interested," Sasuke told him as he turned back toward Sakura and Karin, pretending to be apart of their conversation. The guy didn't give up easily though and instead pushed his way next to Sasuke, even putting his arm around the man. "Don't make me hurt you," he threatened the guy.

"No one comes here looking like that without expecting to get hit on," the man responded. "Don't be a tease," he smirked, not realizing that Sasuke was serious. He started to get closer to the dark haired man, but before Sasuke could do anything Naruto did it for him. Naruto quickly punched the other guy, knocking him to the floor.

"He said that he's not interested," he growled, clearly shocking Sasuke. "Leave him alone," Naruto demanded. He was sick of seeing every guy staring at Sasuke and undressing him with his eyes.

Before either of the blonds could say anything, Sasuke stood up angrily. "I need to talk to you," he said as he pulled Naruto away from the table. They stepped outside and were secluded from prying eyes. "What the hell was that?" Sasuke demanded to know. "Are you trying to get us kicked out?" he added when Naruto didn't answer.

'_If that's what it takes,'_ Naruto thought, but didn't say. "The guy wouldn't listen," he responded defensively. He was looking to help Sasuke, not anger him. He thought he was being a good friend, not doing something that should annoy the other man.

"I can take care of myself," Sasuke told him. He hated being treated as if he were someone that needed to be helped or saved. He knew that he could handle himself; he'd been doing it almost his entire life. "If I need your help then I'll ask for it," he said, hating feeling as if someone thought he was fragile. He knew that Naruto didn't look at him like that, but it still brought back memories of people thinking that they needed to protect him from everything.

"I'm sorry," Naruto mumbled, wishing that he'd just left it alone. "I was just trying to be a good friend," he said, which was slightly the truth. He felt awkward standing outside of the bar with Sasuke. He wanted them to be outside making out, not fighting. The night was going in the completely opposite direction that he was aiming for when he agreed to go to the bar.

"I need a drink," Sasuke said, more to himself than the blond in front of him. He was still annoyed but knew that the blond had the best intentions. "Let's go back in," he suggested as he walked back toward the bar, not waiting for Naruto to follow.

It wasn't long before the blond regretted all of his decisions that night. He frowned as he watched Sasuke. The man had started drinking, which meant he started to loosen up and in turn agreed to dance with a few of the men that approached him. It wasn't as if he was all over the other guys, but that didn't stop them from attempting anything. He was glaring at the men that approached Sasuke, wishing that he could make their head explode.

"You can't get possessive if you're not dating him," Sakura's voice said, causing him to be startled. He didn't respond, but instead went back to staring at Sasuke and the guy that was dancing with him. "You could just fix this problem by asking him out," she suggested, though she knew he wasn't going to take her advice.

It was then that they both saw a very familiar looking blond approach Sasuke. "Yukio," he hissed as he watched him try to make Sasuke dance with him. He didn't want to anger Sasuke, but he still wanted to step in and chase the other man away. If he had his way he'd take the man outside and beat him until he realized that he should just give up.

"Come on baby," Yukio said to Sasuke all the while getting closer to him. "For old times sake," he tried to convince him. He pulled Sasuke to him and swayed his hips, encouraging Sasuke to respond.

The dark haired man responded by pushing him away. He wondered how Yukio knew he was there, wondering if he were following him. The young Uchiha wouldn't show the fact that the blond crept him out, but rather showed his annoyance. "I know I've been drinking tonight," Sasuke started. "But I am nowhere near drunk enough to dance with you," he told him, completely disgusted by the man in front of him. As he went to walk away, Yukio grabbed him by the wrist harshly, which was the last straw in Naruto's eyes.

"Don't do anything stupid," Sakura told him as she watched the blond get up from the table. By the somewhat crazed look that filled his eyes in that moment she knew that he wasn't hearing a word she said. "Please don't do anything stupid," she begged even though she knew he wasn't listening. She looked at Karin, who looked just as worried as she was, "This should be interesting." The redhead just nodded and watched the scene unfold.

"Mind if I cut in?" Naruto asked with a glare. He had a tight grip on Yukio's arm, stopping him from grabbing at Sasuke yet again. "I think you've taken up enough of his time," he told him. The two blond alpha males had a short glaring contest before Yukio backed down.

"See you later," he told Sasuke with a smirk. Naruto felt that if he had anything to say about it then Yukio would never be within one hundred yards of Sasuke ever again. The other blond winked as he walked away, which just made Naruto want to rip his head off, though knew it wouldn't be the best idea.

"I'm sick of dancing," Sasuke told him, ready to turn away. Naruto wouldn't agree with the idea and instead stopped him. "Naruto," he sighed, though it wasn't completely in annoyance. "I'm serious," he told him, though as he looked at the blue eyes in front of him he knew that he'd probably give in. Ever since what happened with Yukio in high school he'd been the type to stay away from people and build walls around him to insure that he wouldn't get hurt, however, Naruto seemed to be breaking down all of his walls.

"Just one dance," the blond requested with one of his award winning smiles. "You know that you want to," he added as he pulled the other man closer to him.

"One," Sasuke told him as he gave in, allowing the blond to invade his personal space. It started as a friendly dance, but neither of them could resist making it a little dirtier. When the song changed to something more up beat, the blond took the risk and started to move their hips together. Before he knew it, Sasuke's back was pressed up against his chest and his hands were on the other man's pale hips.

One song quickly led to many more, though it all stayed "friendly," meaning that there was no kissing involved. Naruto couldn't keep track of all the times he _wanted_ to kiss the young Uchiha but didn't. Their form of dancing made it seem far beyond what was considered appropriate for just friends, but neither would take the chance of pushing it further. Both doubted the other's feelings and decided it was better to pretend everything was purely friendly than it was to ruin a friendship. Sasuke didn't want to lose one of the first true friendships he'd had made in a long time and Naruto didn't want to ruin all of the progress he'd made since meeting the other man. Both wanted more, but neither was ready to try to take it to the next level.

As Sakura and Karin chatted and watched their friends, they couldn't believe how blind they were. Sakura wasn't even sure that they'd realized how long they'd been dancing, nor how sensual it had become. "Which one do you think will crack first?" Sakura asked the other girl.

"I don't know," Karin replied as she took a drink of her water. "But I can't wait to find out," she grinned. She only hoped that it'd happen soon because she wasn't sure how much longer she could watch the two avoid the subject. "But if it doesn't happen soon then I say that we lock them in a room until they get together," she laughed.

Sakura stirred her drink as she nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan," she told her as she watched the two men dance. Neither of them knew that another unexpected catalyst would be coming along soon.

**TBC…**

**So, what do you think of the chapter? I changed what was going to happen, only a little, based off of some of the reviews that I got…AvengerStrife (on FF) wanted to see more NaruSasu action, "even if it's one of them fantasizing about the other" which I think it's pretty obvious as to which part that inspired…The Yukio thing was also inspired by a review from kikie7429 (on my DA journal post) because they wanted to see more of Yukio and that was the result…**

**Good? Bad? Let me know what you think…**


	20. Closer To You

**As always, I own nothing…**

**Sorry it's been so long since I've updated but school and work are killing me…**

**Also, I try to respond to every review that I get, but I'm sorry if I don't reply to a review…I check my e-mail a lot on my phone and I don't reply using it, I just try to remember who I replied to and who I haven't, so if I'm not on my computer when I reply then I may not reply because I sometimes don't remember who it is that I have replied to and I don't want to send more than one reply…but I do read and appreciate all the reviews that I receive**

**Song of inspiration: Closer to You by Adelitas Way**

**Chapter 20: Closer to You**

"Okay, I need your advice," Naruto said as he walked into Kiba's dorm room. The brunet looked at him, wishing he'd locked the door. "I know that you hate when I talk about Sasuke, but I really, really need your help," he said as he sat on the opposite bed, glad that Shino was in one of his classes.

"Then talk," Kiba said as he closed his book. He pushed it to the side, knowing that he wasn't going to get any studying done when the blond was in his room. Naruto had a way of making people talk to him, even if they were busy with someone else, yet somehow it didn't get annoying.

"You know how we went to that gay bar?" he asked, though the question was rhetorical. Kiba just nodded, signaling for him to continue. "Well, Sasuke and I danced," he said. The brunet just looked at him, as if to ask if there were a point to what he was saying. "Well, his ex-boyfriend slash stalker was there and he was trying to get Sasuke to dance with him, which was when I cut in of course," he continued. Kiba was getting less interested in the story as it went on, but the blond continued to talk. "Well I thought that he was going to be pissed off because he seems to hate when people protect him, but he wasn't it. Instead he danced with me and so I'm thinking that I'm making good progress. I just don't know how to keep it progressing," he finished explaining.

"You know, you could have just asked advice on what you could do to make Sasuke like you. I really didn't need to hear the entire story," he told him. The blond just shrugged as he waited for an answer. "I don't know the guy well enough to tell you exactly what to do," he told him. "Just try to spend more time with him," he suggested.

Naruto thought about it for a little while, "I know! We could go ice-skating." There was a wide grin spread across his face, though Kiba thought it was a horrible idea. He doubted that Sasuke was the kind of person to go skating at all, let alone ice-skating. "It'll be fun and we can all go so he doesn't get freaked out by thinking that I'm trying to make a date out of it," he said excitedly. "Please tell me you'll come," he begged.

He looked at the blond, knowing that Naruto wouldn't give up. Kiba nodded, "Fine, but you better invite other people because I'm not hanging out with just you and Sasuke the entire night." He refused to just stand by and watch Naruto and Sasuke flirt the entire night. Kiba only agreed to go because Naruto was his best friend.

"Awesome," Naruto grinned as he stood up, ready to leave and convince Sasuke. "Be at my dorm at nine tomorrow. I promise to have a big group of people for you to talk to," he smiled. "You can invite Shino if you want," he suggested on his way out of the room. Kiba just sighed, hoping that the next night would be better than the last time they went out.

**NS**

The next morning, there were continuous knocks on Kiba's door. He rolled over, pissed off that he was being woken up. He looked at the clock and saw that it was only eight thirty in the morning and thought, _'Whoever it is, is about to die.' _Kiba groaned as he got up and opened the door. For once he was surprised to see who was in front of him. "Ino?" he questioned as he saw the blonde girl standing at the door. "What are you doing here?" he asked, confused.

"There's something that I think you should know," she told him. He didn't say anything and instead signaled for her to come in. She made her way into the dorm room, wondering if she was doing the right thing. _'Too late now,' _she thought. "I was talking to Hinata about you," she said and he started to hope it was good news. "I wish that I were here to tell you that she likes you, but I'm not," she told him, causing the man to frown. "I'm here to tell you that Naruto knew," she informed him.

"Knew what?" he asked, hoping that she wasn't talking about what he thought she was. "He saw Hinata reject me, I think it's pretty obvious that he knew," Kiba told her, still annoyed that he had been woken up. The brunet wouldn't let himself that she was going to say that Naruto knew that he'd be rejected. He thought better of Naruto than to think that he'd let him make an ass of himself.

"You know that's not what I'm talking about," she said as she watched his features become a mix of anger and sadness. "Hinata had told him that she liked him," she told him. "He knew that you'd be rejected," she added, wishing that she didn't have to tell him. Ino didn't want to be the one to ruin a friendship that was as strong as Kiba and Naruto's. However she felt it was her duty as a friend to tell him.

"Why are you telling me this?" Kiba asked, anger evident in his voice. She wasn't sure why he was asking; she thought that he'd want to know. "Why is it you and not him?" he asked. He thought that he could always trust Naruto, but what Ino was telling him made him question their friendship.

"I'm sure that he didn't want to make you depressed," she said. "He probably thought that he was being a good friend by not being the one to break your heart," she added, hoping that Kiba and Naruto would still be friends after he found out. "Maybe he just didn't get the chance to tell you," she said with and apologetic smile, suddenly wishing that she hadn't said anything at all.

"Yeah, right," he scoffed as sat down on his bed. "If that's all that you came to tell me then you can just leave," he told her, frowning. The blonde girl just nodded as she quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. Kiba took a deep breath, not sure what to say to Naruto.

**NS**

Suigetsu wasn't sure what Naruto had done to get Sasuke to go ice-skating, but he wasn't going to ask. No matter what the blond did, Sasuke would use an excuse that it was purely "friendly" and that it had nothing to do with Sasuke having feelings for Naruto. "I've never seen you ice-skate," Suigetsu said as he and Sasuke were putting on ice-skates.

"That's because I never do," the dark haired man replied. It was at that point that Suigetsu knew watching Sasuke attempt to ice-skate was going to be entertaining. "Shut up," Sasuke said when he saw the look on the other man's face.

"I didn't say anything," Suigetsu said casually, though he knew that Sasuke knew him too well to deny that he wasn't thinking something. "I was certainly thinking something, but I didn't actually say anything," he said as he looked toward his girlfriend. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to Karin," he told Sasuke. "I need to find out why she's been avoiding me," said while making his way toward his girlfriend.

The light haired man made his way toward his girlfriend, trying to act casual so that she wouldn't walk away. "Hey," he smiled as he sat next to her. He could tell that she was hiding something, but she didn't know what. "Are you mad at me?" he asked before she could respond to his greeting.

"What?" she asked, though she wasn't surprised that he'd noticed she'd been acting weird. "I'm not mad at you," she told him. "I've just had a lot on my mind," she said, suddenly finding the ground very interesting. Karin wasn't sure how to tell him or even how he'd react to the news.

"You know that you can talk to me about anything," he said, trying to figure out what she was hiding. She looked at him and then back at the ground, as if she felt that she couldn't tell him. "I'm serious, just tell me," he said, confused by her actions. "I mean what is it? Do you want to break up or something because that's what it seems like. You've been avoiding me," he frowned hoping it wasn't the reason she wasn't talking to him.

Karin didn't want to lose her boyfriend over keeping a secret that she wasn't even sure was going to ruin their relationship. "I'm pregnant," she finally said, terrified of his response. When he just looked at her, not saying a word, she felt as if she'd made a mistake. "I knew that I shouldn't have said anything," she frowned as she got up, ready walk away.

"Karin," Suigetsu called her back, grabbing her arm so that she wouldn't walk away. "I can't say that I'm not shocked," he told her, still trying to regain his composure. "But that doesn't mean that I'm going to leave you because of it," he assured her. "Can we just talk about this?" he asked as he let go of her arm.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she said as she sat back down next to him. "I just wasn't sure how you'd react," she admitted as she looked down at her feet.

"We'll figure this out together," he told her, making her smile. She was happy to know that she wasn't going to have to do it by herself.

**NS**

Naruto noticed that Kiba had hardly talked to him since the day before. Usually they would have been talking the entire way to the ice rink, but Kiba had hardly said two words to him. "Kiba," the blond called as he made his way over to the man. He didn't respond, but instead just looked at him. "What's up with you today?" he asked, obviously confused by Kiba's behavior.

"You knew," he calmly stated, though didn't look at his best friend. He was watching the dark haired girl whom had rejected him. He was leaning against the side of the barrier between the ice-rink and the seating area. "You knew and you didn't tell me," he said before looking down at his hands.

"I'm so sorry," Naruto said, immediately knowing what he was talking about. "There were so many times that I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how to bring it up," he told him, hoping that his friend would forgive him.

Before Kiba could say anything else, Hinata interrupted. "Can I talk to Kiba?" she asked somewhat timidly. Naruto just smiled at them before nodding and heading away from them. She took a deep breath as she looked at the brunet, deciding to take Sakura's advice.

"What's up?" Kiba asked trying to sound normal. He didn't want to act as awkward as he felt while talking to her. He tried to play it off as if her rejection didn't hurt him, but he knew that he wasn't doing a very good job at it.

"I'm sorry," she said, still feeling nervous about the entire conversation. "I was shocked when you told me," she said with a little stutter, showing just how nervous she was in that moment.

"It's fine," he tried to play it off. "You don't like me like that, I understand," he said, hating the conversation. The last thing that he felt he needed was to talk to her and act as if it hadn't affected him. He looked down, wishing that the conversation would end and he could go back to avoiding the woman in front of him.

"I was hoping," she started, nervously glancing between him and the floor. She wasn't sure how to phrase what she wanted to say. It wasn't like she expected him to go back to how they were before he asked her out. "I was wondering if you wanted to skate with me," she blushed as she looked at him.

He looked at her, completely confused. She had just rejected him and then she was asking him to skate; he wasn't sure what to think about the entire situation. "Excuse me?" he looked at her, his bewilderment clearly shown across his face.

"I just," she stumbled on her words, trying to articulate exactly what she wanted to say. "Well," she continued, feeling like an idiot as he stared at her. "I don't think I was fair to you," she stuttered.

"What are you trying to say?" he asked, not wanting to get his hopes up. He wanted her to like him, but he also didn't want it to be something that was forced. Mainly he didn't want her to take pity on him and date him just because she felt bad. He knew that Hinata was the kind of girl that would feel horrible for hurting someone else and then try to do anything to fix it.

"I was thinking maybe," she tried to find the right words to say but her nerves were getting the best of her. "Maybe we could spend more time together," she said timidly. "Sakura pointed out to me that I never even considered you," she bit her lip, feeling as if everything she was trying to say was coming out wrong.

She wasn't able to continue because Kiba cut her off, "You don't have to try to like me because of something Sakura said." He was a little annoyed that she wasn't doing it on her own, but because of something her friend said. He thought that if she liked him then she would have said yes the first time he asked her.

"But she's right," Hinata said, stronger than the last. "I ignored everyone that isn't Naruto," she frowned, knowing that she'd never have a chance with the blond. "It was wrong of me," she said as she looked at him. Kiba was an attractive guy and he was a good friend, she couldn't see how it would hurt to at least try to have some sort of relationship. "I'm not doing this just because of Sakura," she assured him. "Please skate with me," she requested shyly.

"Okay," he smiled. He was happy with the opportunity to try to show her that they could be something, but he was still worried that she was doing it for the wrong reasons. He followed her out onto the ice-rink and they talked while slowly skating. However he only let a little bit of hope seep in, he wouldn't let himself get hurt again because of false hope.

**NS**

It took some convincing but Naruto finally got Sasuke out onto the ice-rink. As they started to skate the blond realized why Sasuke didn't like skating. He wasn't good at it, but to Naruto that just made the day more fun. "It's not that hard, just pretend that you're roller skating," Naruto said with a smile, though all Sasuke did was glare.

"I'd have to be good at roller skating then," he mumbled as he clung to the wall around the ice-rink. He hated doing things that he wasn't good at, yet somehow Naruto always found a way to make him do those things. "Why'd I come here?" he asked himself, still mumbling.

"Come on, it's fun," Naruto smiled as he skated with ease. He was enjoying the fact that for once he was better than Sasuke at something. "Just let go of the wall," he said as he pulled his hands away from the wall.

"Stop it Naruto," the dark haired man snapped, only making the blond laugh. He was having a difficult time keeping his balance and if any previous experiences told him anything, he knew that he was going to fall. He tried to grab for the wall again, but instead he ended up falling onto the rink. "Damn it," he growled.

Naruto tried to hold back a laugh, but failed completely. He held out his hand to help the other man up. Sasuke took the hand but continued to glare at him the entire time. "Don't look at me like that, you just need to practice," he smiled despite the evil look that Sasuke was giving him. "No grabbing the wall," Naruto instructed after Sasuke got back on his feet.

"Shut up idiot," Sasuke snapped as he attempted again. They moved a little, but yet again Sasuke fell. The only difference in the second fall was that he took Naruto with him. When he felt his feet slipping out from under him, Sasuke grabbed the closest thing next to him, which happened to be the blond.

"Fuck that hurt," Naruto complained after having fallen. It wasn't until he opened his eyes fully that he realized he was face to face with Sasuke. Their faces were just mere inches apart, which made him blush a little. They stared at each other for a few moments as the blond hovered over Sasuke, just enjoying the closeness.

They were pulled back into reality by Kiba's voice. "I thought you were ice-skating," the brunet chuckled as he and Hinata skated past them. Hinata told him to be nice but he still laughed at his friend's position.

"Right," Naruto said as he pulled himself up, using the wall next to them as leverage. He held out his hand for Sasuke, who kept quiet as he got up. "You, uh, just have to practice," Naruto said, trying to break some of the awkwardness between them. Naruto hadn't wanted to get up, he wanted to lean down further and kiss the other man, but he knew that probably wouldn't have been the best idea so instead he tried to act like it was no big deal.

"I'm holding on to the wall," Sasuke mumbled as he looked away from the blond. Naruto just laughed before making him continue to skate. Deep down they were both hoping for a repeat performance, but knew it was unlikely to happen again.

**NS**

Friday night Sasuke sat in front of his brother, talking as they always did on Fridays. He was still sore from skating, or more falling, and it was noticeable. Every so often he'd adjust his shoulder or rub a particularly sore spot like his neck. His actions made his older brother curious, "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be," Sasuke responded quickly. He didn't want to tell his brother that he had gone ice-skating, but he also knew that he wasn't very good about lying to his brother. Itachi knew how much he hated to things he wasn't good at and he was sure that he'd tease him about Naruto being able to get him to go ice-skating. All he was hoping for was that Itachi would drop the subject.

As he figured, his brother didn't change the topic. "You seem sore," he said and Sasuke could see him going into over protective mode. "Did someone hurt you?" he asked, looking as if he were ready to hurt someone. Itachi had always been protective of his brother, more so than normal older brothers. He felt that after everything Sasuke had been through in his life that he needed someone to look after him, even if Itachi couldn't be there in person.

"I went ice-skating," Sasuke mumbled. He didn't want Itachi to hear what he had said, but by the smirk on the older Uchiha's face he knew that he did. Itachi was staring at him, expecting him to elaborate further. "Naruto made me," he said lamely.

"Made you?" Itachi asked, knowing that nobody could truly force Sasuke to do something. "You must _really_ like this guy," he said, causing the younger Uchiha to look away. He was happy that his brother was making friends and actually being social, he knew that it was difficult for him to do. Mostly he was happy to see that Naruto appeared to have an effect on Sasuke, he made him loosen up a little.

"Shut up," Sasuke replied, not truly responding to Itachi's claim. "Let's talk about something else," he suggested, wanting to get away from the topic of Naruto. Itachi didn't protest, he knew that when Sasuke was ready then he'd tell him all about his roommate. He knew better than to push his brother, he just hoped that one day he'd be able to meet the man that was causing his brother to change a little. He wasn't going to ask Sasuke to bring him with when he came next Friday, it was another thing he knew that his younger brother would do when he was ready.

**TBC…**

**So let me know what you think :)**


	21. Jealous Again

**Sorry for how long it's been since I've updated…I'm trying to update as fast as I can but I've got a lot going on right now…**

**As always I own nothing regarding Naruto**

**Song of inspiration: Jealous Again by Black Crowes **

**Chapter 21: Jealous Again**

Everyone could see that Naruto and Sasuke were getting closer. The two walked up to the usual group, coffee in each of their hands. It seemed to have become a ritual that they'd go for coffee in the morning. Sasuke sat between Suigetsu and Juugo, the former giving him a knowing look. "What?" he asked looking annoyed, knowing what he was thinking.

"I didn't say anything," the light haired man smirked. He knew how to annoy the dark haired man and he found it highly amusing, especially when it involved a certain blond. "Here comes trouble," Suigetsu whispered to Sasuke as Sai walked up. The other man had seemed to become a permanent part of the group, which annoyed Sasuke more than Suigetsu's comments. "No need to pull out the claws, Naruto's definitely not into him like that. Besides I think he's straight," he continued to whisper as he nodded toward Sai, who was flirting with Ino. Suigetsu just gave another chuckle as Sasuke glared at him, "Dude, you've got it bad."

"Shut up," Sasuke mumbled as he looked at Sai. He felt a little foolish for being jealous. He watched Sai flirt with Ino and he let out a sigh. Perhaps Suigetsu was right; maybe he really did like Naruto. He wasn't going to admit it though. He decided to ignore the fact that he had somewhat admitted it to himself multiple times and tried to tell himself that he wasn't jealous.

"What are you two whispering about?" Naruto asked from across the table. Had it been anyone else Naruto may have been jealous, but it was Suigetsu that Sasuke had been talking to. Suigetsu was straight as an arrow and definitely not into Sasuke like that. While he knew that he really didn't have any right to be jealous, that didn't stop the feelings from rising every time someone tried to flirt with the Uchiha.

"None of your business," Sasuke snapped before Suigetsu could say anything. The light haired man just looked at Sasuke and let out a little laugh, causing Naruto to become confused. "I have to get to class," the dark haired man suddenly said as he stood up.

"You don't have class for another forty five minutes," the blond pointed out as he looked at the time on his phone. He didn't understand why Sasuke would suddenly want to leave; they'd had a great morning so Sasuke's actions didn't make sense to him. Naruto frowned, wondering if he'd ever fully understand the dark haired man.

"I need to study," Sasuke said quickly, almost too quickly. He didn't say anything else; rather he walked away toward his next class. _'Damn it,'_ Sasuke thought, knowing that he didn't really have anything that he needed to study for.

"You know his schedule that well?" Suigetsu asked, amused. He wasn't sure how Sasuke couldn't see how much the blond liked him. He didn't even know Sasuke's schedule well enough to know the time his classes were.

Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of an excuse. "Well," he started, as both Suigetsu and Kiba gave him knowing looks. "I'm his roommate, why wouldn't I?" he said knowing that his reasoning was lame.

"Right," Suigetsu chuckled. "I'm _sure_ that's the reason," his response made Kiba laugh and the look on Naruto's face only made it funnier to him.

"Whatever," the blond huffed. "I should get going too," he said as he stood up, wanting to get away from the conversation. He was wishing he had gone with Sasuke, but with the way the dark haired man retreated he figured that it would have been a bad idea. The way Sasuke left only made him more curious as to what he and Suigetsu were talking about, part of him hoped that he'd been the topic.

As Naruto walked away he heard Kiba yell, "Man up Naruto." The blond only responded with his middle finger. His response only made Kiba laugh as Naruto wondered if he should take the brunette's advice and tell Sasuke his feelings.

**NS**

Sasuke didn't normally sit in areas that had a lot of traffic, especially not on mornings when he was in a bad mood. It had been a day since Suigetsu had teased him about Sai. The dark haired man sighed, thinking about how he'd decided not to go to breakfast with Naruto. He knew that the blond was disappointed, but Sasuke needed to think. He didn't want to be around Naruto or his friends because he had to work out what he wanted to do. He knew that he liked Naruto, what he was debating was whether or not he should give into his feelings and actually tell him.

The young Uchiha sat at a table in front of the building of his first class. It was earlier than he usually arrived, but he didn't want to hang out in his own room with the blond he knew would only ask him questions. He had his book in front of him, open, making it look as if he were studying. Every now and then a girl would giggle and wave as they passed by him, which only made him remember why he didn't like girls.

"Sasuke?" he heard a familiar voice say from behind him. It was a voice that he hadn't heard in a while, though hearing it again didn't annoy him. He turned toward the speaker and saw exactly whom he expected: Kyuubi. "So it is you," the man smiled as he sat across from him.

Sasuke looked at his old lab partner, "Hey." He wasn't sure what else to say to the man. It wasn't as if they had been best friends in high school, they were merely lab partners. His presence brought back memories, which annoyed him at the time but he realized that to anyone watching the events would have been funny.

"That's all you have to say?" the other man smiled. "No insult or demands of me leaving," he chuckled, knowing how the Uchiha normally acted. "You feeling okay?" he asked, somewhat genuinely concerned. He expected Sasuke to be rude, but was pleasantly surprised when he wasn't.

"I'm sorry, idiot, I didn't realize you were so fond of my insults," Sasuke dryly replied, causing Kyuubi to just continue smiling. "What do you want?" he asked as he looked at the redhead in front of him. He wasn't sure what else to say, he wasn't going to admit that they were somewhat friends in high school and so he wasn't entirely annoyed by his presence.

"I just saw you and figured I should come say hi," he replied casually. "We were friends in high school after all," he added with a smirk, wondering what kind of response he'd get from the other man.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes as he said, "We were _not_ friends." It was the response that Kyuubi had expected and so it didn't faze him. "Don't look at me like that," Sasuke demanded as the redhead looked at him, obviously not believing a word Sasuke had just said.

"You haven't told me to leave yet," he pointed out in response. "I think that alone says that you see me as a friend," he added, grinning like and idiot. He looked at Sasuke and couldn't help but continue to stare. The man had always been hot, but he had definitely gotten hotter with age, if that were possible.

"Shut up moron," was Sasuke's not so clever reply. There wasn't much seriousness in his tone and they both knew it.

"How long do you have before class?" Kyuubi asked, wanting to see if he could spend more time with Sasuke. He was hoping that the dark haired man would have a long time because he wanted to do something. He hoped that Sasuke would agree.

"About an hour," Sasuke replied, again wondering why he had come to his class so early. Part of him wished that he didn't avoid Naruto considering that the blond had no idea what the conversation was about. The other part was oddly happy to see Kyuubi and the fact that he'd been a good distraction from his thoughts. He knew that he often over thought things and Kyuubi could be the perfect distraction for him to stop thinking about Naruto.

"Cool," the redhead said happily. "Want to go get coffee? We can catch up," he suggested, knowing the Uchiha liked coffee. Before Sasuke could answer two other men walked over. He recognized as Sasuke's best friend, Suigetsu, though the other was a complete stranger. Just by the way he was staring him down Kyuubi already decided that he wouldn't like him.

"Sasuke there you are," Naruto said, ignoring the presence of the redhead. "We've been looking for you," he told him, his sole focus was on the young Uchiha. He wanted to know who the other man was, but didn't dare ask because he knew that the jealousy would show in his voice.

"Kyuubi?" Suigetsu questioned as he looked at the man next to Sasuke. That one name made Naruto become even more jealous. The fact that Suigetsu knew whom the man was made him think that he may be a threat for Sasuke's affections. "It's been a while," he then said, wondering if it were the first time Kyuubi and Sasuke had seen each other since high school. He didn't think they were good friends but with how comfortable Sasuke seemed around him he wondered if he was wrong.

"Suigetsu, right?" Kyuubi replied, to which Suigetsu just nodded. "Who are you?" he asked as he turned toward Naruto. The look on his face clearly showed his emotions, but Sasuke didn't seem to notice. Kyuubi could tell that he wasn't going to be good friends with the blond just by the way the other man looked at Sasuke. In his mind a war was about to begin.

"Naruto," he answered. "I'm Sasuke's roommate," he informed him, glaring at the redhead. He wasn't sure if Sasuke could sense the tension between him and Kyuubi, but he guessed that he couldn't since he didn't seem uncomfortable. He wasn't sure how he could be so oblivious.

Sasuke cut in, feeling some of the tension between the two. He wasn't sure why Kyuubi wouldn't like Naruto, but he didn't want to over think it. "This is Kyuubi, my old lab partner from high school," he told the blond. At that point Suigetsu knew that Sasuke wasn't as blind as it may appear, but rather denying that either one of them may have feelings for him. "He used to try to get me into trouble all the time," Sasuke added, looking over toward the redhead.

Kyuubi just shrugged as he let out a laugh. "I had to get my entertainment some way," he told them. "It was always fun to rile him up," he added as he looked back at Sasuke. The exchanged looks annoyed Naruto; not liking that there was a new person in the other man's life. He knew that Sasuke making friends was a good thing and he was okay with it, just not when it was someone that may like Sasuke. He also knew that he had no right to be angry, especially since he wasn't acting on his own feelings.

"So, Sasuke," Naruto emphasized the man's name so that Kyuubi would know he wasn't including him. "We were going to meet up with the others for breakfast," he told him, though by the look on Sasuke's face he could see that the man didn't care. "Want to join us?" he asked, hoping the dark haired man would say yes.

"I already made plans to go get coffee with Kyuubi," Sasuke informed him, wanting a distraction while he sorted out his feelings for Naruto and just what he was going to do about them. "Come on moron," Sasuke said to Kyuubi as he got up. The redhead didn't say anything, instead settling with giving Naruto a cocky smile as he and Sasuke started to walk away.

Suigetsu could see the frown on Naruto's face as he saw the other two men walk away, obviously catching up. "He's just a high school friend, don't worry about it," he told him, trying to assure him that he wouldn't be competition for Sasuke's feelings. He never thought that Sasuke would have a crush on Kyuubi, from what he could see the man wasn't anywhere near his type.

"Is that why he just ditched us to go to coffee with him?" Naruto asked, his voice somewhere between sad and angry. Suigetsu looked in the direction Sasuke and Kyuubi had just walked away, realizing that he wasn't even sure if his words were true. When Suigetsu only frowned in response, Naruto said, "That's what I thought."

Suigetsu found it somewhat ironic that just the other day it had been Sasuke who was jealous. The tables have definitely turned, but he just hoped that they weren't in Kyuubi's favor. He didn't completely trust the guy in high school and he still didn't. There was something about the redhead that told Suigetsu he'd be nothing but trouble.

**TBC…**

**I am so sorry that this took so long to post…I'm even sorrier because this chapter didn't turn out as well as I wanted it to…hopefully next chapter will turn out better and be posted faster…**


	22. Rumor Has It

**As always I own nothing regarding Naruto. **

**I'm so sorry that it took this long to post…I just hope it was worth the wait, if not then I'm even sorrier…**

**Song of inspiration: Rumor Has It by Adele – it was inspired by the title not the actual song **

**Chapter 22: Rumor Has It**

Sasuke was hanging out with Kyuubi, or at least Naruto thought so, but his opinion was a little bias. Kiba teased the blond for being jealous. Naruto couldn't deny that Kiba was right, considering every time he saw the redhead he wanted to make him burst into flames. The blond was sitting with his best friend, Kiba, at an outside table as they waited for it to get closer to the time for their next class. He had refrained from talking about his dark haired roommate for Kiba's sake, but it was obvious still that it was what the blond was thinking about. "He doesn't like the guy," Kiba suddenly said, allowing the conversation to drift toward what Naruto actually wanted to talk about.

The blond looked surprised at Kiba's choice of conversation topic, but certainly wasn't going to complain. "Really? Then why is he spending so much time with the asshole?" he asked, somewhat bitterly. He let out a frustrated sigh as he laid his head on the table in front of him, causing Kiba to shake his head.

"If he liked the guy then he wouldn't push him away," Kiba said. Naruto only seemed to notice the things that pointed toward Sasuke liking the other man and ignored every action that said otherwise. The blond looked at him confused and Kiba continued, "Every time the guy touches him Sasuke moves away from it, whether it be shrugging Kyuubi's arm off his shoulder or moving away when he touches him in general."

Naruto was surprised that Kiba had been that observant when it came to Sasuke. "Why would you notice that? Are you just lying to me to make me feel better? Because I know that you never paid that much attention to Sasuke's actions before," the blond said suspiciously. He certainly wasn't worried that Kiba would be competition as well, but that didn't stop him from wondering why the brunet was suddenly interested.

"You're my best friend," Kiba reminded the other man. "I would hope that if some other guy were hitting on Hinata that you'd be watching to make sure that he didn't get too close to her," he said. "I may not understand why you like him, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to support you," he added.

Naruto smiled, remembering why Kiba was his best friend. "Oh you know he's growing on you," the blond teased. He knew that Kiba didn't like Sasuke that much, but he did seem to tolerate the man, which made Naruto happy.

Before they could continue with their conversation their pink haired friend, Sakura, walked up. She looked excited, which Naruto had learned over the years that it meant she probably had a new piece of gossip, after all she was the gossip queen. "Guess what I just heard," she smiled at the two men.

"What?" Kiba asked, though he was obviously uninterested. Unfortunately the pink haired girl didn't seem to notice, or if she did then she didn't care.

"Well, I just heard that Sasuke and Kyuubi are dating," she smiled. "At first I was pissed that he was gay," she told the two men. "But then I realized that I should just be happy for him, it's not like he's dating another girl, right? I mean if he weren't gay then I'd probably be jealous and try to break them up," she told them as Naruto tuned out most of what she was saying, concentrating on the fact that Sasuke and Kyuubi were dating. "Anyway, I've got to go," she smiled. "I've got to tell Ino," she squealed as she walked away to find the blonde girl.

Kiba saw the look on Naruto's face, which he knew was a mix of confusion and pure jealousy. "You have no right to be jealous," the brunet reminded him. "If you want him then actually do something about it," he added, knowing that Naruto probably wasn't listening to a word he was saying.

"I'm going to go talk to Sasuke," Naruto quickly said as he got up. He knew that Kiba was right, but that wasn't going to make his jealousy go away. He walked away and it didn't take long to find Sasuke since he was sitting outside of the building his next class was in, as Naruto expected. What he didn't expect was that Kyuubi was sitting next to him. The way Kyuubi looked at him only made Naruto certain that it wasn't just a rumor."Hey guys," the blond interrupted the conversation, trying not to glare at the redhead.

"Hey Naruto," Sasuke replied as he looked at the blond. He had a book out in front of him, which made it look as if he were studying, but Naruto was sure that he wasn't.

"Congratulations," he said, somewhat bitterly. "I heard that you two are dating," he said, seeing the look of confusion on Sasuke's face. His words caused Sasuke to actually laugh, which left Kyuubi annoyed and Naruto confused. "What's so funny?" the blond asked.

"You believed that stupid rumor?" Sasuke asked. Naruto didn't know it but Sasuke had no interest in the redhead, blond had always been his type. Though he didn't often admit it, at that point he was only interested in Naruto. "Kyuubi is just a friend," he assured the blond, not wanting Naruto to get the wrong impression.

"Oh," Naruto said, not knowing what else there was to say. "Never mind then," he added. He knew better than to say anything else, he didn't want to show how happy he was to hear it was all just a rumor.

"Yeah," Sasuke said as he got up, suddenly feeling awkward sitting between the two. There was obvious tension between Kyuubi and Naruto and it was far from sexual. He could tell that they didn't like each other, he just didn't know why. He had no clue that Kyuubi liked him in that way, which was why he was confused at the hatred they had for each other. "I should get to class," he told them, hoping that when he left they wouldn't rip each other to shreds. "See you later Naruto," he said to his roommate, not actually acknowledging Kyuubi as he left.

Once Sasuke was out of hearing range, Kyuubi glared at Naruto and said, "Just give up now." He stood up so that they were eye level, "By the end of the semester he will be mine." Naruto hated how cocky the man was, it made him want to punch him in the face. "You're just his roommate, try to remember that," he told him.

"I believe it was _me_ that he said goodbye to, not you," he smirked back. "Oh and being his roommate just gives me more of an opportunity," he added cockily. The two alpha males stood in silence glaring at each other and both ready to start a fight. Naruto broke the silence by saying, "You're just a rumor he laughed off; I wouldn't get your hopes up too high." Before Kyuubi could reply Naruto pushed passed him and walked toward his dorm. _'Game on,'_ he thought as he took a quick glance back at Kyuubi. While he wouldn't say that winning Sasuke's heart was just part of a game, he knew since Kyuubi had practically just challenged him that it had kind of turned into one.

**NS**

Later that day Sasuke sat in Suigetsu's room, talking to the light haired man. While it may not have been Suigetsu's favorite subject, Sasuke knew that he could talk to him about anything and trust it not to be spread around like a wild fire. "So let me guess, this has to do with Naruto," the light haired man said as he relaxed and looked at the ceiling. The conversations had drifted more and more toward being about Naruto to the point that Suigetsu just assumed that it would be the subject on Sasuke's mind.

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped. He knew it was obvious that he liked the blond, but that didn't mean his best friend had to inadvertently make it obvious that he talks about him a lot. "It's about Naruto and Kyuubi," he told him with a sigh. He was frustrated with the entire situation. While it may have seemed like it, Sasuke wasn't completely clueless to Kyuubi's affections; he just thought it was a harmless crush. It wasn't as if he thought Kyuubi would make much of a move on him other than harmless flirting and attempted small touches.

"Oh," Suigetsu chuckled. "What happened now?" he asked, for once interested. He was waiting for the day that they got into a physical fight just so he'd know who would win. Looking at them he thought they were equally matched, but Naruto was a bit feistier which may give him the upper hand. "Did they fight? If so did you get it on camera?" he grinned.

"Not physically," he replied, wishing that those questions didn't even need to be asked. He didn't like it when people fought over him, it made him think about Ino and Sakura in high school, only with more appealing people. "All they do is glare at each other every time they're anywhere near each other. It's like they're jealous boyfriends," he complained.

"Well you know what you have to do, right?" Suigetsu said with all seriousness. He was sick of the two fighting over Sasuke just as much as Sasuke seemed to be.

"No, please enlighten me," Sasuke replied sarcastically.

"Either push both of them away and make sure they know that it'll never happen," he suggested. Before Sasuke could say anything he added, "Or grow some balls and tell Naruto that you like him."

"Easier said than done," Sasuke mumbled. While he was fairly certain that Naruto was starting to like him, he didn't want to risk the fact that he may not. They were roommates and he didn't want to make it awkward. Mostly he didn't want to get his heart broken again. To him neither of Suigetsu's options sounded good to him, he didn't want Naruto to think that he didn't like him nor did he want to confess his feelings. Was he being a coward or playing it smart? He wasn't sure but he was hoping he'd soon find out.

**TBC…**

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know…**


	23. Move Your Body

**As always I own nothing**

**So out of curiosity I've written 65 stories for Naruto, 60 of them NaruSasu (if you don't count the second ending in one of them). How many have you read? If you've read more than one then which is your favorite?**

**I had a different chapter planned, but with how many people said that they want to see NaruSasu action I decided to take the chapter out since it was more of a filler chapter…let me know what you think :) **

**This chapter is part of why this story is rated M but I don't think you'll be entirely happy with this chapter**

**Anyway, there are now less than 10 chapters to go!**

**Chapter 23: Move Your Body**

There was something wrong. Naruto knew that there had to be something wrong. That was his only explanation for what Sasuke was suggesting at that point. "_You_ want to go to a party?" he asked, the shock in his voice evident. Sasuke hated parties, or at least that was what he thought. He had always had to force the other man to do anything that involved people that he didn't know. "What's the catch?" he asked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, not understanding why the blond had to question it. "No catch," he answered. "You and Suigetsu are the idiots that are saying that I need to loosen up but you don't want to go to a party?" He looked at the other occupant in the room, Suigetsu, who seem just as surprised by his suggestion.

"You never listen to me," Suigetsu said, looking at Sasuke as if he'd grown a second head. He knew for a fact that Sasuke hated parties and the idea of losing control because of alcohol. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked suspiciously.

Sasuke just sighed, annoyed by his friends' surprised attitudes. He was allowed to let loose every now and then, even if he never had before. Honestly had questioned his own motives, but he tried to ignore the truth. He knew the reason, but he didn't want to admit it. Sasuke was pretty sure that Naruto knew as well, which was probably why he had been so against it. After not being able to see his brother the night before, he needed to relax and he wasn't going to let them stop him. "If you guys don't want to go you can just say so," he told them, knowing how to shut them up. "I'll just go by myself," he shrugged, smirking at their reactions.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," Suigetsu said acting as his surrogate big brother. He'd only seen Sasuke truly drunk a couple times at high school parties he had been dragged to and he knew that he shouldn't be allowed to go by himself. Sasuke was a stupid and honesty drunk, it tended him to get into trouble. While he could hold his own he couldn't taken on a group of football players, one fact that was quickly found out at one of the parties.

_Sasuke had been sitting on the couch at a home party, drink in hand. Suigetsu had tried to get him to stop because he knew that he'd already had too many, but Sasuke never listened to him unless he'd asked for his advice. "I'll be right back, don't get into too much trouble," he told him as he went on the search for water so Sasuke wouldn't get dehydrated. _

_Once he left a busty blonde walked up and sat where Suigetsu had been seated. "High Sasuke, she flirted with him, stroking his arm. He just looked at her with a glare, which she ignored. "Wanna go make out?" she asked bluntly. "I think some of the bedrooms upstairs are unoccupied," she suggested._

"_Look slut," he started, already annoyed with the girl. "You probably know that one is unoccupied because you probably just left it after fucking with some other guy," he stated, not caring that she looked extremely offended. "I'm gay and even if I weren't I wouldn't be interested in catching a STD," he told her. _

"_I don't have an STD," she stormed off. He had thought that he'd gotten rid of her but a few minutes later a group of football players walked up, her quickly behind the, smirking. Apparently she had twisted his words and told her brother what Sasuke had called her and what he had insinuated. One football player he may have been able to take on, but five was impossible when he was already uncoordinated due to alcohol. _

_Luckily Suigetsu had come back before Sasuke had gotten beat up badly. "Whoa, calm down guys," he quickly intervened, causing all of them to look at him. "He's drunk, I'm sure he didn't mean whatever he said," he told them, knowing it was a lie. "I'll get him out of your hair, promise," he said as he pulled Sasuke away from one of the men. The lead football player threatened them but let them go, so long as they left. Suigetsu quickly pulled him out of the party, wondering when he'd become the more responsible of them as he lectured Sasuke entire way home. The only redeeming factor of that night was the fact that he knew Sasuke would have a killer hangover the next day._

"No we'll go," Naruto quickly said, not wanting Sasuke to go alone. He frowned since he had a feeling that he knew exactly why Sasuke wanted to go to the party. He remembered the conversation the night before and knew that he probably wanted to forget all about it.

_It was Friday night, which Naruto knew meant that Sasuke would be gone for a while. He was taking the time to actually study, which surprised even him. His concentration was broken with Sasuke angrily barreled through the door, slamming it shut before collapsing onto his bed. He didn't say anything and Naruto was afraid to ask what happened. He may have come home sad multiple times when he saw his brother, however he never came back this early nor this angry. "What's wrong? I thought you were going to see your brother," he cautiously said. _

_Sasuke remained silent and turned away from him and Naruto then realized that his anger was mixed with sadness, which made him even more curious. He'd never seen the man in such a state. The Uchiha let out a shaky breath, trying not to let his emotions show. _

"_Seriously," Naruto sat up completely, truly concerned. "You can tell me," he told him gently. "I promise that I won't tell anyone," he said, wanting to comfort his roommate, but not daring to move closer to him. He wasn't sure how stable the other man was at that moment and he didn't want to push his luck._

"_I wasn't able to see him tonight," Sasuke mumbled, but it wasn't inaudible. He was curled up in a ball on his side, in the fetal position, which Naruto guessed was for protection. He was shielding himself from the world, trying to block everyone else out. He could feel the blonde's eyes boring into his back, wanting more of an explanation. "Get got in a fight," he told him. All Sasuke could think was that there was no way that Itachi would get out early due to good behavior after what had just happened. _

_The blond frowned, knowing that his brother was all Sasuke had left of family and not being able to see him was just about as bad as torture. He didn't say anything else, not knowing what he could say, but rather stayed in the room just incase Sasuke wanted to talk more about it. _

Naruto and Suigetsu looked at each other, both knowing that it was a bad idea. Suigetsu could tell that something was wrong and Naruto knew exactly what it was, but neither of them was going to let Sasuke go alone so they got ready to go to a party instead. _'This is going to be a long night,'_ Naruto thought while he got dressed.

**NS**

The party was well underway, but Naruto had stayed sober, only have a few drinks. While usually he would drink and let go, he didn't want to because he was keeping a watchful eye on Sasuke. "He'll be fine," Suigetsu told him as he drank a beer. "You can drink," he said. "At least get a little tipsy," he suggested. He may have been telling Naruto to get drunk, but he certainly wasn't, which he knew made him a hypocrite.

"Yeah, like you are?" Naruto countered sarcastically as he looked at the man next to him. Suigetsu just chuckled while nodding, knowing the blond was right. "Yeah that's what I thought," Naruto smirked as he turned his attention back toward Sasuke. "Where'd he go?" he asked Suigetsu, seeing that the dark haired man was nowhere in sight.

Suigetsu quickly looked around only for the question to be answered when Sasuke came from behind them, tripping into Naruto's lap. "Hey guys," he said, a little too happily. "Why aren't you drinking?" he asked, not moving from Naruto's lap. He started to play with Naruto's hair, making Suigetsu laugh.

"You're right, I should be drinking," Suigetsu said as he got up. "I'm going to go get one," he told them, smirking at the blond. "Don't get into too much trouble," he teased as he walked away from them.

Despite the new open spot on the couch Sasuke stayed seated in Naruto's lap. "You're hot," Sasuke suddenly said as he continued to play with the other man's hair. "I don't think I've ever told you that," he grinned as his hand traveled down to Naruto's arm.

"Uh, thanks," he replied, unsure of what he should do. As much as he liked Sasuke touching him and sitting in his lap he knew that he was only doing it because he was drunk. "Don't you think you should sit on the couch?" he asked. "You know, not on me," he added, hoping that he'd move.

"Nope," Sasuke replied. "I like it here," he told him, making Naruto nervous. "What's wrong? You don't like me here?" he asked innocently as he switched his position so that he was straddling the blond. "Because I think you do," he said as he looked at him, a somewhat lustful glint in his eyes.

Naruto was at a loss for words, not knowing how to handle that side of Sasuke. "I," he started trying to find the words. "Um, I," he tried again. He saw Sasuke smirk before surprising him by kissing him. It took a moment for him to realize what was going on, "Sasuke stop." He pushed him off of his lap as he said; "You're drunk; you'll just regret this in the morning." He didn't want to take advantage of the drunken man in front of him. "Sorry," he said as he quickly getting up from the couch, not trusting himself to resist Sasuke for very long.

Sasuke frowned as he watched Naruto walk away, feeling rejected. He looked down, feeling worse than he had when the night started. Kyuubi stood a few feet away, smiling at the situation. He knew that he shouldn't be happy that Sasuke just got hurt, but he knew that it left him vulnerable. "Are you okay?" Kyuubi walked over toward him and sat next to him.

"I was rejected," Sasuke said as he stared in the direction Naruto had walked away. He wasn't used to being rejected and his drunken state didn't help him deal with the feelings.

"Who would reject you?" Kyuubi asked as he moved closer to Sasuke. "Whoever it was must have been an idiot," he added while putting his arm around the dark haired man's shoulders.

Sasuke gave him a weak smile. While when sober he wouldn't give in to the type of flirting that Kyuubi was doing, but he wasn't sober and he was feeling rejected. It was a bad combination and it was making him look for comfort from anyone.

**NS**

Kyuubi was not a good person. He knew this because he was taking complete advantage of Sasuke's situation and not even caring. All he cared about was the fact that he had Sasuke pinned against his door while making out. "Let's take this inside," Kyuubi said seductively and was happy when Sasuke didn't protest. They had made their way into the room and Kyuubi was happy that his bed was close to the door and the fact that he'd paid extra to not have a roommate. Once the door closed he quickly stripped Sasuke of his shirt.

The backed up until they were next to the bed, which Kyuubi pushed Sasuke onto before taking of his own shirt. Sasuke moved back so that he was completely on the bed after kicking his shoes off. Kyuubi did the same with his shoes before climbing onto the bed and hovering over the dark haired man. "You are so sexy," he said huskily before kissing him once again.

Sasuke didn't say much, only moaning in response when Kyuubi did something he liked or said. Kyuubi kissed down from Sasuke neck to the hem of his pants before taking them off along with his boxers. He stared at him for a moment, not liking the fact that he was only half hard and set out to change that. He took off his own pants and boxers before he continued his ministrations on the other man.

As he kissed him deeply, Kyuubi moved his hips and created friction that made Sasuke moan. He could feel Sasuke's hands wander along his body and his full hardness against his thigh. The sounds coming from Sasuke's mouth only encouraged him to continue, even though he knew it was wrong. Sasuke may yell at him in the morning, but he was going to cherish every moment that he could that night.

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know what you think!**

**This is the closest thing to a lemon that I've written in a long time…**

**Any other pairings or series that you'd like me to write a one-shot for? Let me know, maybe I will…I have some ideas that just don't fit for NaruSasu so if you want to see me write a one-shot for something else let me know and maybe I will…**


	24. The Mess I Made

**I'm so sorry for how long it's been since an update, I've had a little bit of writers block lately…sorry if that fact is evident in this chapter…**

**I know most people didn't like the last chapter and I'm sorry but it will have good consequences **

**As always I own nothing regarding Naruto or it's characters**

**This song was originally called Just a Kiss, based on the Lady Antebellum song, but I think the chapter fits better with The Mess I Made by Parachute **

**One last note: I made a twitter account ShellyWriting and I will give updates as to when I'm going to post and perhaps hints as to what will happen…you can also give suggestions for the chapters or one-shots it's basically what I'm going to use so if I get followers you'll get sneak peeks or as much as you can with 140 characters…If you have longer questions or suggestions you can still always pm me on here :)**

**Chapter 24: The Mess I Made**

Sasuke woke up with a pounding headache and a sting shooting up his lower back. _'What the hell?'_ he thought before realizing that he was completely naked. His eyes widened as he opened his eyes and saw that he was not in his own room. _'Fuck,'_ was the only thought as he wondered who it was he went home with the previous night. Despite the pounding in his head he quickly got up and started to find his clothes, putting them on in the process.

He froze when he saw a familiar set on the floor as well, _'Kyuubi.'_ Sasuke let out a small growl as the anger built up. Had he been a cartoon character his eyes would be turning red as smoke blew out his ears. As he got dressed, he set off to find Kyuubi. He wasn't sure that he could hold back the urge to kill the man once he saw him.

It didn't take long to find him; he was standing in the kitchen drinking coffee. This was obviously his off campus house. By the way he was standing, obviously not in pain, Sasuke knew that he hadn't been drunk the night before. "Sasuke, you're up," he put on a fake smile, but deep down he was worried about the Uchiha's anger. "Last night was crazy, huh?" he bit his lip, trying not to look the other man in the eyes.

"Crazy?" Sasuke repeated. "That's all you have to say?" he asked, stepping closer as he looked for something to throw at the man's head. "You took advangtage of me," he told him, remembering exactly what had happened the night before, though wishing that he didn't.

"Hey it was completely consensual, you were asking for it," he told the infuriated man. He knew that it was a lame response and that it only made the mad man madder. "We were both drunk last night," he tried, hoping that he could calm the young Uchiha down.

"You don't look too hung-over today," Sasuke pointed out. "You were hardly drunk, maybe tipsy, but not drunk," he restrained from yelling. "You took advantage of me," he said once again, this time throwing a near by vase at redhead's head.

"What the hell," Kyuubi yelled. He was sure that Sasuke was bound to kill him and realized how stupid it was to mess with the other man. He had known that Sasuke had a temper, so he wasn't sure why he'd do anything to make that temper aimed at him.

"You were asking for it," he said, using Kyuubi's own words against him. "You're just lucky that I don't have better aim this morning," he told him, his head still pounding. "I can assure you that if I didn't have a hangover right now I would, at the very least, cut off your dick. And I would take my time doing it because I'm sure that'd put you through a lot of pain," he told him, his voice growing darker. "I'd stay away from me unless you do want that to happen," Sasuke told him before gathering the rest of his things and walking out of the door.

"Sasuke," Kyuubi called after him. "You can't walk all of that way, this isn't the best neighborhood and it's a far walk," he said as he ran after the dark haired man. "At least let me drive you back to the school, it'll be my way of saying sorry," he pleaded. He caught up with the dark haired man at the doorway, "Please, I'm sorry."

Sasuke pushed him against the wall, his arm pressed against Kyuubi's neck. "Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?" he asked, still angry. Kyuubi nodded, "Then I suggest you do it," he told him. "As you can see, I'm plenty capable of holding my own," he said before dropping the man, causing him to gasp for air. "Bother me again and I will do worse than that," he told him before walking away.

Sasuke looked toward the school, ready to walk back to his dorm. He frowned and turned the other way, realizing that he wasn't quite ready to go back. He knew there was one place that he could always go for advice and that was where he planned on going. He was close enough and he knew there was a bus that could take him back to the university when he was done.

**NS**

'_I am so stupid,' _Naruto thought as he woke up to see that Sasuke wasn't in his bed. The bed had looked as if it hadn't been slept in and Naruto knew that was because it hadn't been. He got up and got dressed, hoping that Sasuke had crashed at Suigetsu's room. _'Please let him be here,' _he thought as he knocked on Suigetsu's door.

Suigetsu looked tired and disheveled when he opened the door, "Hi Naruto." He yawned, feeling it was much too early to be up. "What do you want?" he asked, wondering why Naruto would be at his door.

"You look like crap," the blond told him. "Are you still wearing the clothes from last night?" he asked. He had never seen Suigetsu in such a state. Naruto thought the man was an early riser since he'd been over to his and Sasuke's room early plenty of times.

"I just got back," he told him. When he saw the confused look on his face Suigetsu added, "I do have a girlfriend, remember?" Naruto nodded, realizing what Suigetsu was saying. "Now get to the point," he demanded, he was a little grumpy when he was tired.

"Sasuke didn't come back to our room last night," Naruto told him, causing Suigetsu's eyes to open in surprise. "I was hoping that he was here, but obviously he's not," he sighed.

"I thought he was safe with you when I left you two alone," Suigetsu said angrily, wanting to know how Naruto could leave Sasuke alone. They had both agreed that it was bad to let Sasuke walk around the party drunk, yet Naruto had let him. "Why would you walk away from him, what the hell were you thinking?" he was already grumpy, but Naruto's actions made him angry.

"Look I know it was stupid of me," Naruto said, feeling as if it were his fault. "I could handle it if he had just been flirting with me," he said in frustration. "But then he started to kiss me and, well, I wasn't sure how long I could hold back," he told the other man. "I didn't want to take advantage of him, I didn't think that he'd just disappear after that," he frowned, hoping that Sasuke was okay.

"Sasuke can take care of himself," Suigetsu told him. "He just tends to do stupid things when he's drunk," the man sighed, hoping that Sasuke would turn up soon. When he saw that Naruto looked disappointed he quickly said, "Not that kissing you was one of those stupid things."

"You don't have to lie," Naruto told him, knowing that Sasuke would have regretted what could have happened that night. "I know that he would have regretted it," he told Suigetsu. "But I still should have took him back to the dorm so he could sleep it off. I'm so stupid," he sighed, wishing that he could turn back time, but knowing that it was impossible.

"Yeah," Suigetsu said, wondering if he should tell Naruto that Sasuke did like him. "But not for the reasons you think," he told the blond, hoping that he understood what he was trying to tell him. "Would you have been taking advantage of him? Probably, but that doesn't mean that he didn't want it to happen," he said to a shocked Naruto.

**NS**

Sasuke sat across from his brother. He had taken a pain killer before he came, not wanting his brother to realize how bad the night had truly been. He knew that Itachi was surprised because it wasn't Friday and yet there he was, looking sadder than he had in a long time. "Sasuke, what's going on?" he asked, concerned for his little brother.

"I did something really stupid," Sasuke confessed. "I went to a party last night and thing got way out of hand and I have no idea what to do," he said, a mix of panic, disappointment, and sadness in his eyes. "I need some advice," he added.

Itachi was surprised, knowing that his brother never came to him for help. He knew that it must have been serious if Sasuke was sitting in front of him, showing weakness. His brother hated to be seen as weak, but there he was and Itachi was dreading to hear what was brother.

"I got drunk last night," he told Itachi. "And I do stupid things when I'm drunk," he told him, as if the man didn't already know. "Well, I started to hit on my roommate," he sighed. Itachi already knew that Sasuke liked Naruto, which made him think that he was the cause of Sasuke's sadness. "Well, he, in a way, rejected me. I don't know if it was because I was drunk or if he really just didn't want me," he frowned, hoping it was the first. "Well, I felt rejected and I went home with this guy who took advantage of me," he said.

"He what?" Itachi said angrily. It was times like that where he wished he wasn't locked up so that he could teach the man a lesson. "Did you teach him not to mess with you? Because if I weren't in here you know that I'd do it for you," he said, wishing he could meet the guy in person so he could beat him to a pulp.

"Look I'm not here for advice on what to do about Kyuubi, I already fixed that," he told his brother, which made Itachi feel a little better. He knew that Sasuke was capable of taking care of himself, but that didn't make Itachi want to do any less harm to the man. "I want advice on what to do about Naruto. I know it's going to be awkward when I go back, but I don't know if I should brush it off as me being drunk or if I should just tell the truth," Sasuke said, torn between protecting his heart or putting it out on the line to be broken.

"Sasuke," Itachi said, going into his calm big brother mode. "You always suppress your feelings when it comes to love," he told him, not wanting him to do it again. "Ever since that guy, Yukio, you never let anyone close. From what you say about this guy I think it's okay for you to tell him how you feel," he told his brother. He knew that Sasuke ran away from everything that could hurt him and he knew it was time for him to let himself take a chance. Sasuke just nodded his head, not entirely sure if he was ready to tell Naruto or not.

**NS**

Naruto had been pacing back and forth around the room. He'd sit for a moment before standing up and pacing again. He was worried about Sasuke and thinking about how stupid he was for leaving him alone. He wanted Sasuke to walk through the door so he could know that he was okay. As he sat down again, the door opened and Sasuke walked in. "Sasuke," he stood up again and quickly went and pulled him into a hug. Once he realized how awkward the closeness was after the night before he pulled away and took a step back. "I was, uh, worried," he told him.

"I can tell," Sasuke muttered, looking away from Naruto. He wasn't sure what to say and he had never been so nervous about saying how he felt. With Yukio they hadn't been friends so there was nothing to lose, but Naruto was his friend. He may not have said it, but he and the blond had become close friends.

"Where were you?" he asked, hoping that Sasuke had been somewhere safe. He could tell by the look on Sasuke's face that it wasn't the case.

"I did something stupid," he admitted. They were still standing across from each other, neither taking the risk of moving. They didn't want to make things worse. "I went home with Kyuubi last night," he told him with a frown. He hesitantly said, "He took advantage of me."

Naruto felt the anger build up as he broke the stillness in the room and moved toward the door, "Where is he? I'm gonna kill him." When Sasuke grabbed his arm and turned him around, he stopped mainly out of shock. "Why are you stopping me? He deserves to get a good beating," Naruto's frustration was let out by the anger in his voice.

"Kyuubi's not going to be a problem anymore," he told the blond. By the way Naruto was staring at him he knew exactly what he thought, "I didn't kill him." The blonde's shoulders relaxed and Sasuke said, "I merely threatened him."

"I still don't think that's enough," Naruto grumbled as he stopped trying to get away. He realized that Sasuke was still holding his arm, but said nothing about it. He didn't want to ruin it, to ruin the feel of Sasuke's hand on his arm. Any time Sasuke touched him he felt butterflies and he didn't want them to go away.

Sasuke realized what he was doing and knew that if he didn't tell him in that moment then he never would. "I was drunk last night, that's a given," he told Naruto before taking a step toward him. "What I did with Kyuubi meant nothing and I did only do it because I was drunk," he added and Naruto started to think he was going to say that their interaction was only because he was drunk. "But even though I didn't go about it the best of ways, I did mean how I felt about you," he told him. Sasuke didn't leave any room for Naruto to speak; instead he pulled him in for a kiss. When he felt that the blond didn't kiss back he quickly pulled away. "Sorry," he said before taking off back out of the door, feeling like an idiot.

Naruto stood there shocked. He hadn't been expecting Sasuke to kiss him; it had made him freeze in place. "Crap. Crap. Crap," Naruto said as he quickly chased after Sasuke. "Sasuke!" he called, but found that the man was nowhere in sight. "Shit," he frowned knowing exactly what the Uchiha must have been thinking. "Damn it!" he yelled, causing the few students in the hallway to look at him. "What the hell did I just do?" he asked himself, causing the other students to look at him as if he were a freak. "What are you looking at?" he growled in frustration.

Part of him wanted to look everywhere to find Sasuke, but he also knew that it was probably be best to give him some space. He also wanted to hurt the cause of all of it: Kyuubi. If the redhead hadn't hurt Sasuke then Sasuke's confession might have been more expected. He wasn't prepared for a confession after the man had been saying how he did things that he regrets because he was drunk. He wanted to kill Kyuubi for even thinking about taking advantage of Sasuke.

The only reason he didn't find him and cause him bodily harm was because Sasuke had stopped him. Sasuke was already going to avoid him; he didn't need to add Kyuubi to the list of reasons. The one thing that he knew that he had to do was talk to Sasuke. He had to explain to him that he felt the same way. He had to tell him why he was so shocked. He needed to find a way to get Sasuke to speak to him rather than avoid him.

**NS**

Sasuke walked off campus, wanting to be anywhere but somewhere that Naruto could find him. "I'm such an idiot," he said to himself as he found a nearby park. _'I should know better than to put my heart out there,'_ he thought, trying to lock up any of his feelings. He refused to cry over rejection, he was stronger than that. _'Never again,' _he told himself. He promised that he'd never let his hear be broken again. He'd never give anyone the chance ever again.

He wasn't sure why he never had luck when it came to matters of the heart. Perhaps he fell for men that would never love him back. Maybe it was his own doing; maybe he was doing something wrong in every relationship or every possible relationship. He thought that maybe he was just too damaged to love. There were a lot of things he didn't know, but what he did know was that love is hell.

**TBC…**

**I thought about having Naruto confronting Kyuubi but it just didn't feel right…Sasuke stopped him from hurting Kyuubi so I didn't think Sasuke would like it if Naruto did anyway…**

**I hope you guys like the chapter…I was fighting writer's block so I'm not sure how great it turned out…so let me know…good? Bad? Horrible? **


	25. Sorry

**Okay, one thing that I really don't like is a person that asks a bunch of questions in their review and doesn't have sign in that I can respond to…don't get me wrong, I'm totally cool with anonymous reviews, but since I do like to reply, especially to long ones…**

**So this one was from () who reviewed on chapter 2, I think this chapter explains better why it couldn't be defended as being self-defense **

**For those of you that didn't get a response it may be for two reasons, either it was just saying that you liked it or I thought I responded but didn't…but to all of you that did say you liked it but I didn't respond my response is: Thank you, you're all awesome!**

**As always, I (unfortunately) own nothing…**

**Song of inspiration: Sorry by Art of Dying**

**If you haven't heard the song I highly recommend the song…if you don't look at it as being romantic then I think it really fits for this story…**

**Chapter 25: Sorry**

She hadn't been back in town for many years; too many years in her opinion. In her heart she felt it was right to come back, but her head said that it might be a mistake. She wasn't sure how her sons would react to seeing her, especially her youngest. Uchiha Mikoto stood in front of the university Sasuke was attending. Mikoto had been keeping tabs on her sons ever since she left and it pained her to know that Itachi had taken the blame.

Mikoto had been living in a neighboring country where no one would know or find her. She found a job and a small house and made herself a new life. While she never forgot about her old life, it felt good to create a new one. Her new life helped to let her not think about her sons. She knew that Kakashi would take care of Sasuke and she wished that Itachi hadn't taken the blame, but he did and once her son did something she knew that he wouldn't go back again. She told herself that even if she came back Itachi would try to take the blame.

Despite leaving her past behind she was never able to make a new family. She didn't date, nor form truly close relationships. Work was her concentration, it had to be so that guilt wouldn't eat her alive. She knew that it was selfish of her to let Itachi take the blame, but the thought of prison scared her into leaving. All of the evidence pointed to first-degree murder. She knew that the gun case was unlocked. She knew that the gun was loaded. It was her that made sure that those things were in place. She would never let her sons take as much pain as she endured, it was her plan that if things ever got too out of hand she would end it. End him. The fact that she planned it, that she put so much hate into it, and that she definitely knew what she was doing would have made her instantly guilty and charged with murder in the first degree.

Her reasons were definitely not good excuses for her actions. She knew that it made her a bad mother, perhaps a horrible mother. In the moment it felt like the right thing to do. She was following what her son ordered, but that should never be the case. She was supposed to be the mother, the one to tell her sons what is wrong and right. She was supposed to tell her sons what to do, but in the moment she couldn't.

Mikoto was about to walk to Sasuke's dorm room when he practically ran out of the building and right past her. At first she was too shocked at her son's actions to do anything. She soon came to senses and quickly followed the young man. "Sasuke," she called, trying to get him to stop. After calling after him a few more times he stopped, but she wasn't sure that it was because of her.

He appeared to be tuning out the entire outside world. Sasuke was pacing, talking to himself under his breath. She could only hear the words "fucking stupid" come out of his mouth. While she knew that he had grown up, it was still shocking to hear her youngest son cuss. He stopped pacing and let out a deep breath while running his hand over his face in frustration and a little humiliation. "Sasuke," she called once more, pulling him out of his own mind.

He turned to look at her, at first annoyed. Girls always annoyed him and his first thought was some fan girl. He thought that he had shaken most of his admirers by repeatedly reminding that he was gay. When he saw the woman in front of him he stood frozen. No words came to mind when he saw his mother in front of him. It had been years but she hadn't changed. The emotions he had already been feeling went into overdrive. Sasuke stepped back from her as if touching her would kill him. It was as if he had seen a ghost. "What," he started but the words would form. For one of the very few times in his life, Sasuke was finding talking to be a very difficult task. While he didn't talk much, it didn't mean that he didn't have opinions and couldn't voice them, it was that he chose not to. That moment wasn't one of those times; in that moment he was truly speechless.

"I know, it must be a shock to see me," she said. She took a chance by stepping and reaching for him. He quickly stepped away causing some tears to form in her eyes. It was exactly the reaction she deserved and she knew it. "Please Sasuke," she begged, causing him to wince.

"Don't say my name," he ordered. His voice was shaky and he thought that he would breakdown at any moment. Sasuke wouldn't look her in the eyes. He could hardly look at her at all, not wanting to believe she was standing in front of him. "Just don't say anything," he said, trying to remain strong. He wasn't ready to see her and his reaction showed it. "Just leave," he pleaded, not wanting to see her ever again.

"I can't do that Sasuke," she said, trying to reach for him again. "I've been gone for too long already," she said. All she wanted to do was talk to him. She didn't think that he'd ever forgive her completely, but she still wanted him to listen to her reasons. Even if she had no good excuse, she wanted him to hear her side of the story. "Please just listen to me," she begged.

"You're the one that left," he painfully reminded her. "You made that choice," he added, his voice cracking a little. He was a mix of emotions, ranging from anger, to heartbreak, sadness, and confusion all at once. "Why would I listen to anything you have to say?" he asked, it was a rhetorical question, but still one that she wished she could answer.

Mikoto knew that she had no good reason why he should listen, but she wanted him to understand. "I was a young mother," she told him, telling him even if he didn't want to listen. "I had been abused and just shot my husband, I didn't know what to do," she quickly tried to explain, all of the emotions flying back. He tried to walk away from her but she just followed. "I was scared and so I left. I listened to what Itachi told me to do and never thought about what he was going to say to the police," she said. "I never thought he'd take the blame," she started to cry.

"But he did and you were still nowhere to be found," he hissed. He wouldn't forgive her. He would never forgive her and they both knew that. "I don't want to see your fucking tears," he angrily said, "and I don't want to hear your stupid excuses." His anger was boiling over as he felt she was trying to explain her actions. Sasuke wouldn't forgive her actions and he didn't want her to even try to make him. "You can't make me forgive you because I never will be able to," he told her. "You can't go back and fix what you did," he reminded her as he started to feel all of the emotions from that day rise to the surface. "You can't change the fact that Itachi's been in prison," he said, knowing that it was the biggest reason that he couldn't forgive her.

"I know that Sasuke," she said timidly. "I know that I can't fix anything and I know that I did the worst thing I could do," she admitted. She still had tears pouring out of her eyes, not to try to make him forgive her, but because she couldn't even forgive herself. "I wish I could, but I can't. I can't take back pulling the trigger, I can't take back leaving, and most of all I can't take back staying away. As much as I wish that I could, I know that I can't," Mikoto cried.

Sasuke stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He wanted his words to come out right and not shaking because of all of his emotions. "I could have forgave you for killing him," he told her honestly. "He was a horrible father and an all around terrible man. He was a monster and even then I knew that," he said, trying to stay calmly. "But I can never forgive you for letting Itachi take the blame. I can never forgive you for what happened in the aftermath of the shooting," his voice grew sadder as he talked.

"I know that, but I want you to know why I did it. I want you to understand why I did what I did," she told him. She knew better than to reach for him. She knew that it would only make him run again.

"You know what I don't understand?" he asked, though she remained silent. "I don't understand how you could let your thirteen year old son take the blame," he said, his anger building again. "I don't understand how you could just leave," he continued. "I don't know how you could leave your eight year old son alone with no real family," he said. "I was eight," he said, "I was eight and you left me with no family to turn to. All I had was a guardian that wasn't ready to be a father. I want to know how you slept at night knowing what you left behind." When she remained silent he said, "That's what I thought, you have no real explanation for that." Before she could say anything else he said, "I'm done talking to you." He quickly left and she knew better than to follow him.

**NS**

Naruto lay on his bed as he looked up at the ceiling. Ever since Sasuke bolted from the room he had been reprimanding himself. "I am so stupid," he huffed in frustration. "How the hell can I fix this," he asked himself, knowing how difficult it would be to Sasuke to listen to him. He sat up in surprise when the dorm room swung open. He was even more surprised when he saw that it was Sasuke, "Sasuke?"

The dark haired man didn't say anything. Naruto could see his emotions written all over his face, which was odd for Sasuke. Tears were threatening to fall and it worried Naruto. While he could see his emotions, he could also tell that Sasuke's walls were up in full force. "Are you okay Sasuke?" he asked.

"Leave me alone," Sasuke ordered as he started to throw some things into a bag. It was clothes and the essentials like a toothbrush. He wouldn't say much else no matter how much the blond tried.

"Please just talk to me," Naruto said, still worried about Sasuke's state of mind. "Is this because of earlier?" he asked, hoping it was something he could fix. "Because if it is then you've got it all wrong," he started to explain, "Please just tell me that you aren't like this because of me."

"Just stop," Sasuke said quietly. He was already an emotional rollercoaster; he didn't need Naruto to add more. He had pushed the incident with Naruto to the back of his mind. Bringing Naruto into the picture again was going to push him over the edge and he knew it. He didn't want to breakdown, especially not in front of Naruto. He hated showing any weakness and he was at his weakest point.

"Sasuke, you're almost in tears," Naruto's worried voice was clear. "I just want to know what's going on," he moved to comfort the other man but Sasuke quickly moved. He was sick of people that were part of the cause of his emotions trying to fix him. He just wanted people to shut up.

"Just stop it," Sasuke yelled. When he saw the slight fear in Naruto's eyes he forced himself to calm down a little. "Not everything is about you," he said, trying to make it clear that it wasn't completely about what happened between the two of them. "Just give me some space," he grabbed his things and quickly make his way out of the dorm room. Sasuke didn't have the emotional ability to deal with Naruto at that point. He wanted to get away from it as much as he could, which meant he definitely couldn't stay in his room. He was going to one of the few people he knew that he could count on.

His actions left Naruto stunned. "What the hell just happened?" he asked himself as he looked at the door. He wasn't sure if it had been something he did, if Kyuubi showed up again, or something entirely different. Either way it left him confused and wanting to know more. "Space," he sighed as he repeated Sasuke's words. That one word made him think that he was at least partially to blame. "Damn it," he said under his breath as he collapsed onto his bed again.

**NS**

All of Sasuke's emotions had reached their peak when he showed up at Suigetsu's door. He knocked several times, waiting impatiently. "Open the door Suigetsu," he called, his voice weaker than he'd like.

"Sasuke?" the man answered as he opened the door. When Sasuke shoved his way through the door the light haired man didn't say anything. It wasn't just Sasuke being rude like normal, he could tell something on a completely different level had occurred. "Sasuke, are you okay?" he asked, though he knew the answer.

Sasuke just shook his head no as he sunk onto the floor. The tears started slowly but as he let himself think through what had happened they started to pour. He curled into a ball, breaking down, but not saying any actual words. With all of the emotions finally coming out he was finding that he couldn't find any words to say. All of the emotions about Naruto, Kyuubi, and his mother were starting to come to the surface and they were showing in the form of tears.

"What the hell happened?" Suigetsu asked, sitting next to his best friend. He hadn't seen Sasuke in this state since when the murder happened. Even when Yukio hurt him, he wasn't in as bad as a state as he was in that moment. "Tell me what happened," he said softly, not wanting Sasuke to explode with anger.

Sasuke just shook his head and leaned against Suigetsu. The light haired man just wrapped an arm around him, letting Sasuke find some comfort. Sasuke was showing weakness and vulnerability, two words that were rarely associated with the man. He knew that all he could do at that point was be there for his friend. He couldn't make him talk, but he could give him a shoulder to cry on. "It's okay," he said, but Sasuke kept crying. Suigetsu frowned; knowing that what ever had happened must have been bad. What scared him the most was that he couldn't think of anything that would make Sasuke come to him crying.

**TBC…**

**Let me know what you think :) Good or bad? Like it or hate it? **

**As always, reviews are appreciated…**

**This chapter kind of wrote itself…**

**Before people review saying that this is a short chapter I'll tell you right now, it's only short if you skim the long paragraphs…other than that it is shorter than the last chapter but it's about the same as most chapters in this story…**


	26. All In

**Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that there is a chance that I may disable anonymous reviews…if you want to know the full story then go to my deviantart account, it's in my journal…It's not that I don't love most of the anonymous reviews, it's just a few ruining it for the rest…**

**If you want to read it follow this link: .com/journal/**

**Anyway, a lot of you were surprised by Mikoto coming back, which surprised me haha maybe it's because I knew it was going to happen**

**As always, I own nothing, enjoy and please review**

**Song of inspiration: All In by Lifehouse**

**One last thing: Since this story is getting close to being done, I have a poll on my profile asking what my next story should be. I'm not sure that I'll definitely write one, but in case I do I want your opinion as to what it should be :)**

**Chapter 26: All In**

Suigetsu didn't bother to make Sasuke tell him why he'd had a breakdown, but rather let him sleep it off. He knew that he couldn't force the young Uchiha to do anything that he didn't want to do. When Sasuke finally woke up the next morning his eyes were still red and the same expression was written all over his face. It worried Suigetsu, but he knew in times like that Sasuke needed a bit of normalcy. "You look like crap," he told his dark haired friend, hoping that it'd at least make him say something, but he just remained silent. Suigetsu sighed, "Look Sasuke, if you don't tell me anything then I can't help you."

"I don't even know where to start," Sasuke admitted in a small voice. He was lying on Suigetsu's bed, staring at the ceiling as he tried to find the words to explain everything. "Everything is just so fucked up," he told his best friend. "And I truly mean everything," he sighed. He felt like banging his head against the nearest wall until he forgot everything about the past few days, but he knew it wouldn't work.

"You're still not telling me anything that happened," Suigetsu pointed out. "Just start from the beginning," he said as he sat on his roommate's bed; he was at his morning class. "It can't be that bad," he tried to smile, but Sasuke just glared at him, making his smile quickly disappear. "Or maybe it can," he mumbled, causing Sasuke to groan in frustration.

"Remember that stupid party?" Sasuke asked. Suigetsu nodded, not sure that he liked where it was going. "I went home with Kyuubi that night," he said, disappointed in himself when Suigetsu gave him a surprised look. "I was drunk and I felt like Naruto flat out rejected me, but Kyuubi was there and made me feel better. Long story short, he took advantage of me and my drunken state," he summarized.

"Please tell me that's the only thing that happened," Suigetsu frowned. "I mean I can beat him up if that's the only thing," he assured his best friend. "Hell, if that's not the only thing, I can still beat him up," he added. Suigetsu knew that Sasuke could take care of himself, but that didn't mean that he didn't want to beat up the redhead.

"I can take care of myself, I don't need you fighting my own battles," he told him, annoyed. "Why is it that every time I tell someone that they want to beat up Kyuubi for me? I am perfectly capable at defending myself. The idiot isn't worth the time it would take or the possibility of an assault charge," he huffed. "And no, that's not it," he frowned.

"People care about you Sasuke," he said in response. "It's not that we don't think that you can't handle yourself," Suigetsu told him. "It's that we care enough to hate him for doing that to you. We are mad enough that we want to beat him up," he said, but Sasuke didn't find it reassuring. Suigetsu frowned; he had truly been hoping that the Kyuubi incident was the worst of it. "What else?" he asked, not sure that he wanted to know.

"Naruto rejected me," he told him, looking away. He hated feeling rejected; it wasn't something he was used to. He rarely put his heart out on the line enough times to feel rejection. "I kissed him and told him how I felt," he mumbled, "he didn't respond." Suigetsu looked shocked, knowing that Naruto liked Sasuke. "It was as if he were frozen," he said, "He was like a deer in headlights. It's not really the reaction you get from someone that likes you."

"Sasuke, just because he was shocked doesn't mean that he doesn't like you," he said, knowing that Sasuke would take lack of reaction as rejection. "You can't blame him for being surprised," he said. "I mean telling someone something like that and then kissing him doesn't give someone a lot of time to digest what you'd said," he pointed out. Sasuke looked at him again, still unsure about the situation. "Talk to him before you jump to conclusions," he added. When Sasuke just nodded he knew there was more to the story. "What else is there? I know you wouldn't break down because of a guy," he said.

Sasuke remained quiet for a while, not sure if he wanted to say anything else. Suigetsu's worried stare caused him to sigh. "I saw my mother," he told him, taking Suigetsu by surprise. Those words were the last thing that he had expected Sasuke to say. "She was standing outside of the dorms when I rushed out of the room because of Naruto," he continued, knowing Suigetsu wasn't going to interrupt. "I didn't know what to do," he said, not wanting to cry again but still feeling the emotions build up. "She wanted to talk, to explain herself as if it would make everything okay. None of it makes sense to me. Why would she come after so many years to explain herself?" he asked. "She knew that I couldn't forgive her, so why would she come back at all?"

Suigetsu was at a loss for words. Sasuke's mom wasn't a topic that he was ready for and he was pretty sure that he'd never be ready for it. Before he could say anything there was a knock on the door. Suigetsu let out the breath that he had unknowingly been holding. He had never been so happy for someone to come to the door in all his life. He silently got up and walked to the door, but when he opened it he found a person that was part of the problem. "Hey Naruto, what do you want?" he asked, glancing back at Sasuke for his reaction only to find that he hadn't reacted at all.

"I know Sasuke's in there," he flat out told him. "I really need to talk to him, please just let me in," he begged, "I need to fix this. He's got it all wrong." Even with all of his begging Suigetsu didn't open the door.

"Look, this has little to do with you," he said. "And really you should be happy about that," he added, causing a confused look to spread across Naruto's face. Suigetsu looked back at Sasuke once again, who didn't look to keen on the idea of talking to Naruto. "Just give him some time," he suggested, "he has other thigns that he needs to sort out right now." Before Naruto could say anything else he found the door shut, leaving him bewildered as to what could be going on.

**NS**

"I have no idea what to do," Naruto said as he walked in, uninvited, to Kiba's room. The brunet looked annoyed, but Naruto ignored that fact. "Seriously, I think I really screwed up this time," he said, flopping down on Kiba's bed.

"Sure, come in. Please have a seat, make your self comfortable," he responded sarcastically. Naruto just rolled his eyes at Kiba's words, knowing that the brunet didn't care. "How did you know I wasn't doing something _private_?" he asked.

"Because you like Hinata," Naruto said. "Face it, it's going to take a long time before she has any kind of intimate relations with you, let alone has sex with you," he told him as if it were a fact. "And if you were masturbating I just would have been scarred for life," he shrugged, "though I'm guessing you would have locked the door if that were the case."

"That's not the point," Kiba told him. "You need to learn to knock," he said, though he knew it wasn't going to happen unless he did start locking his door. "Or at least call or text me when you're coming over here," he said, knowing that probably wouldn't happen either. "Now what do you want?" he asked.

"No need to throw a hissy fit," Naruto told him, "I thought you liked dogs, so stop acting like a cat." His words got a glare shot his way, "You know, after living with Sasuke, no other glare freaks me out anymore. Speaking of him, he's the problem." Kiba just signaled for him to continue, not bothering to tell him that Sasuke was always the problem lately. "He seems to think that I've rejected him," he said.

"Did you?" Kiba asked, ignoring the dog comment. "If he thinks you did then there has to be a reason for that," he sighed, knowing that it would be a long and probably pointless conversation. Kiba had found that most conversations about Sasuke had become pointless. It was always about Naruto's deleimma of telling Sasuke he liked him and Kiba telling him to just tell Sasuke how he feels.

"He kissed me," Naruto said. His words surprised Kiba because he never thought that Sasuke would make the first move. "And he told me that he likes me," he added. "But I didn't expect it so I didn't react and he took it the wrong way," Naruto explained, his words getting faster as he talked. "I was frozen so he took it as rejection and now he won't talk to me and I don't know what to do," he said.

"First, start taking breaths between sentences," Kiba chuckled. "Second, just be yourself," he suggested. "You're persistent with everything else, why not with getting him to listen to you?" he said as if it were the simplest answer ever.

"Both him and Suigetsu pretty much told me to give him some space," he told Kiba. "I mean if he needs space then I should give it to him, right?" he tried working out his thoughts as to whether or not it was a good idea to do what Sasuke said, but neither side ever won. Each time both had it's pros and cons. Pros: he might find out what's going on, he may get Sasuke to forgive him, and they could start a relationship. Cons: Sasuke might get mad at him and he might push him further away. The idea that Sasuke might get mad at him was what was holding him back. Sasuke was already avoiding him; he didn't need to make it worse.

"What Sasuke needs to do is listen," Kiba told him. Kiba was sick of the drama between the two and knew that they needed to sit down and actually talk, not just dance around the issue. He could only stand so much drama in his life and he didn't want it to be Naruto and Sasuke drama, he'd had enough of that for one semester, "He's got to come back to the room some time, talk to him then."

**NS**

Naruto lay down on his bed, thinking over what Kiba said. He felt as if he were wrong since it was already close to nine o'clock and Sasuke wasn't back. _'Maybe tomorrow,'_ he sighed, wishing that the man would walk through the door. He didn't expect him to come back any time soon because the man had been avoiding him at all costs. He was surprised when a half a hour later Sasuke walked through the door. He didn't say anything and he didn't look at him but he was there and that's all that mattered. "Hey," Naruto said, hoping that he'd respond.

"Hi," Sasuke let out a mumble. He crawled into bed and turned away from the blond. He was hoping that if he ignored him enough then he'd go away, but he wasn't that lucky. The blond was too persistent for his own good.

"Can we talk about what happened?" Naruto asked, but Sasuke still didn't respond. "You can't go the rest of the semester ignoring me, I mean you kissed me, it's something we should talk about," he said, wishing that Sasuke would respond, but he didn't. "I know you keep saying what whatever happened has nothing to do with me, but we both know that whatever you're feeling has something to do with me. It may not be the main reason but if something else happened then what happened between us certainly didn't help the situation," he said, but Sasuke just kept his back turned away. "Will you at least look at me?" he asked a little harshly.

Sasuke sat up and turned toward him, but he still didn't say anything. He was looking for some escape route. He silently got up and grabbed some clothes from one of his drawers, heading for the shower. Naruto didn't let him, quickly getting up and forcing Sasuke to look at him. Sasuke couldn't complain because before he could speak Naruto pulled him into a kiss. The dark haired man quickly pushed him away, "What the hell was that?"

"A kiss," Naruto replied, "You should know, you kissed me the other day." Sasuke still looked at him, completely confused, so Naruto said, "I told you, you've got it all wrong." He let go of his grip of Sasuke's arms and said, "I do like you, a lot. You took me by surprise and then ran off and didn't come back the next night."

"You like me?" he asked, still surprised. He'd thought that he'd been rejected so the last thing that he thought would happen when he came back to the room was Naruto kissing him. His emotions were an emotional rollercoaster, but he knew that he had to concentrate on what was in front of him. "You have the worst timing," he said.

"What?" Naruto asked, it was his turn to be confused. "How is my timing bad? I mean I know it's not right when you wanted me to say it, but I did say it," he said, not understanding. "I mean you don't have another crush right? Because that'd be awkward if you did and you'd already hooked up with him," Sasuke cut off his train of thought by kissing him.

"Just shut up," he told him, kissing him again. He dropped the clothes he'd picked out onto the floor, freeing his hands to pull Naruto closer. The blond didn't argue and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's thin waist. He kissed him back, happy that it was finally happening.

It was only a little later that Naruto realized they hadn't talked about anything. While he didn't want to pull away from the passionate kiss they had been sharing, he knew they needed to talk. "We still need to talk about all of this," Naruto pointed out, breaking the kiss.

"What?" Sasuke asked. He kissed him again, trying to move away from the topic. "What more do we need to talk about?" he asked between kisses. "I like you, you like me, what more is there to say?"

At first the kisses distracted Naruto, making him think that Sasuke was right. Soon he realized that there was still a lot to talk about so he pulled away again. "How about what's going on with you," Naruto said, knowing that was the main thing. He stepped away from Sasuke, knowing that if he started kissing him again he wouldn't be able to make them actually talk.

"I don't want to talk about it," Sasuke said as he leaned against the dresser. "Can't we talk later?" he asked, frowning at the thought of the question. He started to pick his clothes up off the ground, but Naruto stopped him. He knew that if Sasuke got his clothes again then he'd make a b-line to the bathroom.

"No, we need to talk now," Naruto said, determined to find out what was wrong. He wasn't one to force someone to talk, but if they were going to have any sort of relationship they needed to be able to talk to each other. "What is this? Are we dating now?" he asked, needing to know where Sasuke stood.

"Is that you're way of asking me out? Because it is the you're terrible at it," Sasuke told him, in a way mocking him. When Naruto gave him a serious look Sasuke sighed and said, "That's what I want. Is that what you want?" He never liked feeling insecure but that seemed to be all he felt the past few days.

"You have no idea how much I want that," Naruto told him with a small smile. "And since we're dating now, you should be able to tell me what's going on," the blond said. "If we start a relationship off with secrets then this is going to go nowhere very fast," he said, knowing that secrets always hurt relationships.

Sasuke was quiet for a moment. He looked at the ground, not sure how to start. He felt as if he were repeating himself all day, first telling Suigetsu what happened and now telling Naruto. "I saw my mom," he told the blond. "I haven't seen her in years and it just took me off guard. I never expected to see her again nor did I want to," he explained.

"Oh," was Naruto's response, not sure what else there was to say to that. "I'm sorry," he said. He moved closer and pulled Sasuke into a hug, knowing that the other man probably needed it. Sasuke just leaned his head on Naruto's shoulder, feeling safe in the blonde's strong arms. "Let's just relax tonight and get your mind off it," Naruto suggested. "I've got a stack of movies and money for pizza, that should do the trick," he tried to smile.

"I'd like that," Sasuke replied, though he still didn't smile.

"Good, you go pick a movie and I'll call for pizza," Naruto said as he let the other man go.

Sasuke just nodded and went to pick out a movie. Once he did, he sat on his bed, which sat facing the television that was on top of one of the dressers in the room. When he looked at Naruto it made him smile a little. No one had ever made him feel the way Naruto did. He then started thinking about his brother and what he'd think about his now boyfriend. His brother usually had a good sense of judgment when it came to other people. When the blond came and sat next to him, wrapping his arm around Sasuke, the dark haired man spoke before thinking, "I want you to meet Itachi."

**TBC…**

**Good? Bad? Let me know…**


	27. Love's Looking Good On You

**Okay, so update time…as always I own nothing regarding Naruto**

**Song of inspiration: Love's Looking Good on You by Lady Antebellum**

**See the end of the update for a rough idea of what Cupid's Got A Shotgun would be like – it's winning in the poll so far so let me know what you think and don't forget to vote**

**Including this chapter only 6 to go**

**Chapter 27: Love's Looking Good On You**

Itachi looked at the clock, it was early for Sasuke to come. He always came toward the end of the day and it was only nine in the morning. He hoped that nothing was wrong because that was the only reason that he would come to visit that early. It wasn't until he walked to the visitor's area that he realized why it was so early. It wasn't Sasuke at all, "What are you doing here?"

The woman in front of him watched as her son sat down. "Itachi," she said with a loving, but sad, tone. "I came to see you," she told him. She didn't really have a good reason as to why she was there. Just like when she saw Sasuke, she wasn't sure how to explain why she was there.

"I can see that," he said in a monotone voice. He wasn't sure why she was there; he didn't want to see her. He knew that he'd gotten himself into the situation he was in, but that didn't make anything better. Itachi wasn't mad at her, but it didn't feel right to see her. "Does Sasuke know you're here?" he asked, hoping the answer was no.

"Yes," she replied, causing him to frown. "I went to see him first but he wouldn't listen to me," she told him, also frowning. She wasn't exactly sure to say to him, the son that she'd let take the blame for her.

"You left," he simply said. "I think that might be why," he told her, not sure what she wanted to hear. He couldn't be as mad at her as Sasuke was, because he'd sent her away, but he also knew that she was a bad mother for actually listening to him. "I think it'd be best if you left," he said.

"So you won't talk to me either?" she asked. She thought that if either of her sons would listen to her that it'd be Itachi. "I'm sorry for what I did in the past, but I know that what I did was wrong. I came to try to make you boys understand," she pleaded.

"I don't just mean the jail," he told her. "I think you should go back to wherever you were hiding," he let out a small sigh. "You aren't doing anything good by being here," he said, "But I'm sure that Sasuke is probably confused and angry. He doesn't need for you to come here and change everything."

"I see," was all she said before excusing herself. She knew that Sasuke would be mad at her but she never expected Itachi to be so cold. Her boys had always been close and that didn't seem to change in the past ten years. She refused to take Itachi's advice, instead she was going to try to make things right. Mikoto wasn't sure how she'd make it right, but she was going to try.

**NS**

It was almost time to go meet Itachi, which terrified Naruto. At first he was happy that Sasuke wanted him to meet his brother, but as it got closer he became scared. He was worried that if Itachi didn't like him then Sasuke might dump him. He didn't want to do the wrong thing or say anything that may make Itachi think he's not right for his little brother. All he knew was that Itachi was a big part of Sasuke's life and his opinion was important.

"Stop pacing," Sasuke said as he watched his boyfriend pace back and forth. It was obvious that he was nervous, but Sasuke saw no reason why he should be. "Why are you so nervous?" he asked. "It's not like he's going to kill you," the dark haired man chuckled.

"What if he doesn't like me?" Naruto asked. "I mean I know he's a big part of your life and I want him to like me," he said it so fast that it was somewhat difficult to hear what he was saying. "I just, I don't want him to think that I'm not good enough for you," he told Sasuke as he sat down next to him.

Sasuke just had a smirk on his face as he looked at his boyfriend. He then knew what the problem was; Naruto thought that he would dump him if Itachi thought he wasn't good enough. It was true that Sasuke always took into account what his brother said, but that didn't mean he didn't disagree with him sometimes. He wouldn't break up with Naruto if Itachi didn't like him, but he would probably be more cautious in the relationship. "I'm not going to break up with you because of Itachi," he told him.

"I know," Naruto lied. His insecurity on the subject showed and he knew it. He knew that Sasuke could tell he was lying but he tried his best to not show it.

"I might break up with you if you keep lying to me though," Sasuke said, smirking at his boyfriend's wide-eyed reaction. He let out a little laugh and said, "Don't worry, I'm sure Itachi will like you." He gave Naruto a quick kiss before standing up and saying, "Now get ready, we need to get going."

The blond nodded and let out a deep breath. He was trying to shake off his fear; he had a feeling that Itachi would be able to see right through him if he didn't. _'I can do this,'_ he thought before standing up and getting ready.

**NS**

"You're getting nervous again," Sasuke said to Naruto as they were escorted to the visitors' room. He found it kind of funny that the blond would be so nervous to meet his brother. However, he understood why he'd be nervous. Itachi could be intimidating to anyone, let alone when the person is dating his little brother. "He's not going to attack you, I promise," Sasuke gave the blond a small smile, which made him feel a little better.

"I see you brought a friend," Itachi said as his greeting. "I take it this is the infamous Naruto you talk about," his expression was unreadable, which made Naruto even more nervous. "I'm sure there's a reason you brought him here," Itachi rose an eyebrow and Naruto thought it must be a family trait.

"Yeah," Sasuke said. His brother gave him a look that meant for him to continue on to the reason, "I wanted you to meet my boyfriend." Itachi smirked at the reason; another thing that Naruto thought had to be a family trait.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you," Itachi said. He was appearing to be nice but by the glint in his eye Naruto knew it wasn't going to last. "So what should make me think that you won't hurt my little brother?" he then asked. "You know he's been hurt before, so what should make me think that you aren't going to do the same thing?" he went into over protective brother mode.

"I worked to earn his trust, why would I want to ruin that?" Naruto asked, knowing that there were going to be a series of questions that would determine what Itachi would think of him. "I've liked him for a while now, I just didn't make a move because I didn't want to ruin our friendship," he said, gaining a little more confidence when he saw the small smile that Sasuke gave him.

"I see," Itachi said, keeping his tone rather monotone. "I know that you know everything that happened with our family," he started. "If this comes into the public spotlight again what should make me think that you aren't going to abandon him?" Itachi asked. "If this is brought to the public people are going to want to know everything," he said.

"I'm guessing that you know that mother is back in town," Sasuke interrupted, not wanting Naruto to have to answer more questions. Though he wanted to know the answer as well, he wasn't going to make Naruto answer it that early in their relationship. He felt that he needed to change the topic, Naruto was nervous enough to begin with; he didn't need him to make that worse.

"'Yes, she visited this morning," he told Sasuke. Itachi decided to let the conversation change only because he saw how his brother looked at Naruto. When he saw the way that Sasuke smiled at him and his answer he knew that the blond made Sasuke happy and that was all that mattered. "Are you okay? She told me that she visited you as well," Itachi said. He saw Sasuke's expression change to a frown and the way Naruto grabbed his hand to try to comfort him. Naruto's actions made him feel more assured that the blond wouldn't break his brother's heart.

"I'm fine," Sasuke said, thought he knew it was a lie. "I just told her that I don't want to see her again," he said, gripping Naruto's hand tighter. Itachi nodded understanding why his brother was angry. He knew that he never got over what happened that night and being left alone with no real family. Itachi was the only person in the family left for him to talk to, but it wasn't like he could always turn to him without it being visiting hours.

Itachi changed conversation so that it wasn't about their mother. He hated to see his brother sad and the topic definitely was a sore spot for him. He started to ask about more trivial things and the good things that happened that week. Itachi loved his brother and wanted him to talk about difficult things, but he also knew that Sasuke wasn't ready to.

Once the visit came to an end Naruto felt more comfortable around Itachi. He realized that as long as he continued to not hurt Sasuke he'd be okay. That didn't mean that he wasn't afraid of Itachi, but he knew that as long as Sasuke was happy with him then Itachi would accept him. As they got up to leave, Itachi called his name, making both Sasuke and Naruto stop to look at him. "Don't even think about hurting him," he told the blond. It wasn't a flat out threat but the tone in his voice told him that it implied one.

"I won't," Naruto assured him before he and Sasuke left. "Do you think that he liked me?" the blond asked. He knew that Sasuke could read Itachi's thoughts better than he ever could. The blond just hoped that the answer would be yes rather than something vague or a flat out no.

"He didn't threaten you with bodily harm, that's a good sign," Sasuke causally said. "If he didn't liked you at all his threat would have been more detailed," the young Uchiha told him, though it still wasn't as assuring as Naruto hoped it would be. "Calm down," Sasuke said, "as long as you don't do anything to hurt me you'll be fine." Sasuke saw that Naruto was going to say something else and cut him off by saying, "He stopped drilling you when I changed the subject and he doesn't always allow subject changes. If he really thought poorly of you then he would have continued until you answered every question he could think of; so just shut up and be happy that he doesn't hate you."

"Okay then," the blond nodded, knowing not to continue with the subject. "Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving," he smiled, knowing that those words are the most reassuring words he wasn't going to get.

"When aren't you hungry?" Sasuke joked as they started to head back to campus.

**TBC…**

**This was a short chapter and I don't feel like it came out very well…hopefully next chapter will be better…Mikoto makes another appearance in the next chapter…**

**Let me know what you think…Good? Bad? Horrible?**

**Okay, so far Cupid's Got a Shotgun is winning in my poll for what I should write next, followed by Invisible which is second at the moment…so I'm giving a little sneak peek as to what that story would be like and you can let me know what you think…**

"Rock, paper, scissors," suggested Naruto. The brunets looked at him as if he were crazy. "What?" he asked. He thought that it was a good way to settle their argument. The blond already knew his idea was shot down, but that didn't mean he was going to defend it.

"He's not some kind of prize," Neji said as he rolled his almost freaky light colored eyes. His eyes were almost white and while it freaked many people out, it also made him interesting to most designers. While he was a good model, his eyes helped him excel in his career. Their voices were kept low as the man that their conversation was about was just in the other room, though still in sight.

"Yeah, you say that, but if you had him then you'd be flaunting him as if he were," Kiba pointed out. It wasn't a lie, they all would be more than happy to date the man in the other room and be able to show him off. The problem they faced was that the man was clueless to all of their affections. He was smart in every other area, but he was oblivious when it came to love.

"I still don't see why rock, paper, scissors is such a bad idea," Naruto huffed. "It's easy and fair," he argued, though by the look on the other two men's faces it was a hopeless cause. "Why don't you guys come up with a better way to settle this?" he asked, somewhat defensively as he crossed his arms. He wondered how Sasuke didn't notice the three of them staring at him. They had been staring at him almost the entire time, but the man never turned around. He wasn't going to complain, after all the back view was a very nice one.

"How about this," Neji started before letting out a deep breath. "We let him decide," he suggested. Naruto looked at him, a little confused, which didn't surprise the longhaired man. The blond wasn't stupid; he just thought that they were going to finally settle who was going to try for the dark haired man's affections. They had all been keeping their distance, for the most part, because of their friendship. It was still obvious that they all liked Sasuke, but none made a clear move for him because they were all friends. "We have to let him choose who he likes," said Neji, "We all go for him and let him decide."

"We need rules," Naruto quickly said. He knew how manipulative Kiba could be and didn't want him sabotaging his chances. "No interfering with each other's chance with him," he demanded. He knew that any chance Kiba got he'd interrupt a conversation and he didn't want that.

"No cock blocking," Kiba chimed in. The two other men looked at him, "What? I don't know about you guys but I plan to tap that." They nodded in agreement. "Alright, good luck boys," Kiba laughed, "You'll need it."

**That's just a rough preview of what the story would be, so let me know what you think…if you don't like that then make sure to vote for something else on my poll…**


	28. It Ends Tonight

**Was the last chapter bad? I got less than half of the reviews on the last chapter than I did the chapter before it…**

**Anyway, this story is almost over – including this chapter there are only 4 more – there were five but I decided not to write the epilogue…I'm kind of happy this story is almost over, I've been having writer's block…**

**As always I own nothing regarding Naruto, enjoy and please review**

**One last note, there is a petition going on, or at least it should be still going on, to make it so that fanfiction will allow MA content on here…it's about not taking down stories that have sex scenes, violence, and/or songs in them there are more details when you actually go to the petition…the link is on DarkHeartInTheSky **

**Song of inspiration: It Ends Tonight by All American Rejects**

**Chapter 28: It Ends Tonight**

Sasuke was attempting to sleep in for once, but it seemed that everyone else wouldn't let him. The first person that woke him up was Naruto; he didn't do it on purpose but he was loud when getting up to go to class. The second person was Suigetsu; he called him shortly after Naruto had left. Still he tried to go back to sleep, but then a third person came, one that he didn't want to see. He looked at the clock and saw that it read ten, he couldn't be mad because he knew that by that time he should already be awake. That was until he found out who it was that knocked on his door.

He opened the door going from slightly annoyed to very annoyed and angry. "What do you want?" he asked the woman in front of him. His mother was the last person he wanted to see so early in the morning.

"I want to talk to you," she said, hoping that he'd listen. Instead he went to shut the door in her face, which she quickly stopped. "Please just let me talk," she begged her youngest son. "I want to make things right," she told him.

He just scoffed and replied, "You want to make things right? Then go tell the truth, because right now Itachi is in jail for something you did. What kind of mother does that?" He was angry and never thought that she actually would. By that point he'd written her off as a selfish woman who only cared about herself.

"Sasuke it's not that easy," she told him. Mikoto started to think that her son was still young and naïve, nothing in life was that easy. She was sure that Itachi wouldn't let her take the blame and would make up a new story to fit the situation into his confession. Confessing at that point seemed pointless, they had already convicted Itachi, no matter how much she disliked the fact it was still true.

"Is that really your excuse?" he asked getting angrier. "You just have an excuse for everything, don't you?" he huffed. He didn't understand how she could be such a horrible mother. "I'm not stupid, things get over turned and they can look at the case again. I know that evidence degrades over time but they pieced the evidence together to fit Itachi's confession, they didn't even bother looking for you for very long. You disappeared and never looked back, so if you're not going to do anything about it why'd you even bother coming back here?" he argued, sick of hearing excuses from her. She didn't say anything, not having a response to his words. "That's what I thought, now leave me alone," he told her, shutting his door before he turned to lean on it. He sighed as he sunk to the ground, frustrated.

**NS**

Mikoto looked at the closed door, saddened by her son's words. She sighed, knowing that he was right and wishing that she could turn back time and take it all back. She knew there was only one thing that she could do to truly make things right. She took off toward the police station, knowing that she had to make it known that she was alive. If anything it caused reasonable doubt that he didn't do it.

It didn't take long for her to get to the police station. "I need to talk to the chief of police," she said once she stood at the front desk. "Tell him that Uchiha Mikoto is here," she said, surprising the woman in front of her. She knew that was all the information the woman needed to know to make sure that she would see the police chief. It wasn't long before she was escorted to the chief's office.

"Mrs. Uchiha," he said when he saw her, his surprise evident. "I was told you were dead," he said signaling for her to sit down. She recognized him as the main detective on the news when it all happened. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost sitting in front of him, which was understandable since she was pronounced dead after disappearing for so long.

"Obviously you heard wrong sir," she said calmly. "I know Itachi confessed, but he lied," she told him, feeling a weight lift off her chest as she started to confess. "It was me," she said, surprising him even further. "He changed the evidence to make it look as if he did it, but it was all a lie," she said.

"While your reappearance is a good argument for that, there is no evidence that you were the one to do it," he told her. He couldn't just convince a judge to overturn a sentence based off of a new confession. "For all I know it could be you covering for him," he told her.

"So why would I come forward after ten years is that the case?" she asked. "Also, I can tell you everything about what happened, how I did it, and why," she told him. "Like where you found the key to the safe and that that the fingerprint you found on it is mine," she said, knowing that Itachi wouldn't have time to look for the key, let alone change the evidence. "If you remember, I wasn't allowed to shoot the gun let alone open the safe, but I did know exactly where the key was," she said, everyone knew that her husband had always been controlling.

He sighed, "I guess we could take a look at the case again." He remembered the key she was talking about and the mystery fingerprint they'd found on it. It was the one piece of evidence they'd found that could have potentially ruined their case. "I'm going to have to ask you to stay in town, I have nothing to book you at the moment," he said. "Also, we need your prints," he told her, hoping that they hadn't wrongfully convicted Itachi.

**NS**

"Is there really nothing good on?" Naruto whined. Sasuke had the remote and was keeping it hostage. The young Uchiha was the only young person he knew that enjoyed watching the news. It was one of the things they definitely didn't have in common. "Please, I beg you change the channel," the blond put his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders.

Sasuke moved his arm off of him, "I'm not stupid." He pushed him away from him as Naruto gave him a fake confused look. "I know you're just trying to get the controller. Nice try though," he said as he turned his back against the armrest and his feet on Naruto's lap.

Before either of them could say anything else a name on the news caught their attention. "New information has caused the police to reopen the ten year old Uchiha case. Uchiha Itachi was convicted of the murder of his father, Uchiha Fugaku, but now Uchiha Mikoto has come forward. Mikoto was pronounced dead after Itachi confessed to killing her and the fact that her body was never found. She had been missing for ten years, but now that she has come forward and also confessed the police have reopened the case," the newscaster said. "We'll have more information as the case unfolds," he added before they changed to a different topic.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and the surprised look on his face. It seemed that the dark haired man had frozen in place. The blond thought about stealing the controller but decided against it, instead trying to comfort the other man. "Sasuke, are you okay?" he asked, truly worried. Sasuke didn't say anything; he just turned the television off before running his hands through his hair. He looked confused and shocked as he silently got up and went to bed. Naruto frowned before joining him. It was a small bed but that didn't stop him from lying next to Sasuke and pulling him close. "It'll be okay," he told him.

**NS**

The next day was hectic as Sasuke and Naruto walked to class. News spread fast and everyone wanted to know what happened that night, especially news crews. It was clear that they had done their research and knew exactly where to find him, waiting outside the dorms to talk to him. The minute he walked out of the dorms they had been surrounded by cameras and questions as they walked to class.

"Sasuke, is it true that your mother killed your father?" the first one asked. Another chimed in asking, "Is that why you didn't testify at the trial?" The questioning continued as Sasuke continually replied, "No comment." They still didn't give up asking, "Have you talked to your mother since she's come back?"

"He said no comment," Naruto finally interfered, pushing through the cameras and pulling Sasuke with him. "Leave him the fuck alone," he said. He harshly pushed the newscasters away until they were out of the crowd. They still tried to follow them, but Naruto started to pull Sasuke along, running from them. He stopped once they were far enough away. Naruto led him to a secluded ally between two buildings. "Are you okay?" he asked letting Sasuke lean against the building. The Uchiha just shook his head no and Naruto gently grabbed his face, making Sasuke look at him. "It'll be okay," he promised before pulling him in for a comforting kiss.

The flashing of the cameras and more newscasters ruined the moment. Sasuke just looked down again, letting out a frustrated sigh. "No it won't," he said before making his escape, leaving Naruto and the media outlets alone.

"Didn't tell you to leave him the fuck alone?" Naruto growled. He was angry that Sasuke would have to deal with all of the media attention again. "He already has to relive this again, he doesn't need you idiots," he said before pushing his own way through the crowd.

**NS**

Sasuke had made his way to the one place that the media couldn't bother him: his dorm room. They could stand outside all they wanted but he could lock himself in his room and hide. The visions of that night wouldn't escape his mind, reliving everything from his brother's arrest to the beating that started it all. He was having a difficult time dealing with the attention; he couldn't imagine how Naruto felt. The blond had been thrown into all of it because he was dating him. Sasuke wasn't sure if they'd use the pictures of them kissing, but he was pretty sure that they would.

He looked toward Naruto's bed, not sure that he could deal with involving Naruto. It wasn't fair for the blond should have to deal with it when he hadn't even been there that night. He knew that the media would do anything do get information, including bothering Naruto. They'd ask if he knew anything just to get every detail. Naruto may be strong but that didn't mean he was unbreakable. It didn't mean that he could handle the media and all of the attention that came with it.

When the blond walked in, he looked tired and frustrated. It only proved to Sasuke that Naruto would only be able to handle it all for so long. It wasn't going to last at this point and he didn't want to make Naruto go through it for no reason. He may know about it all but that didn't mean that the media needed to know that. Their relationship was a new one; it would be understandable if Naruto didn't want to go through everything. "We need to talk," Sasuke said.

"Those words better not be what they usually mean," Naruto said as he sat on his bed and looked at Sasuke. He knew that Sasuke was frustrated but he didn't think that he'd break up with him because of it all. By the look on his face Naruto was sure it was something to do with the idea of breaking up.

Sasuke just frowned, he didn't want it to be the end of them, but knowing that maybe it should be. "Only if you want it to be," he answered. He looked down and didn't let Naruto to speak, "I know that this is a lot and if you want to break up I won't be mad at you. I know this is a lot to deal with and I'll understand if you want to break up." The blond was looking at him, knowing that Sasuke was giving him a way out of the situation. The only question running through Sasuke's mind was if Naruto would take the opportunity.

**TBC…**

**Let me know what you think…love it? Hate it?**

**Hopefully this chapter isn't as bad as I think it is since I had trouble writing it…and sorry it took so long to update – I'll try to make it faster next time…**


	29. Stick With You

**Sorry to anyone who has me on author alert, I know I've been posting a lot for the How To Rock category – I promise some more for NaruSasu will come…I've just had writer's block for the couple lately…**

**Anyway, I feel like I don't say it enough, but I do want to say thank you to all of you guys reading and reviewing it makes me happy to know that people like the story…**

**I can't believe I've been writing on here since 2007 it seems crazy to me I've written so much and that people continue to like my writing…**

**As always, I own nothing regarding Naruto**

**Song of inspiration: Stick With You by The Pussycat Dolls**

**Chapter 29: Stick With You**

Naruto looked at Sasuke, shocked by the words that had just come out of his mouth. He couldn't believe that Sasuke would tell him so calmly that he'd understand if he wanted to break up. It made sense because it wasn't as if any of his previous worked out. He didn't trust people and Naruto could understand why he'd think to give him a way out. "I'm not going anywhere," the blond told him.

Sasuke didn't want to show it, but there was a smile on his face. He truly thought that Naruto might leave; he knew it would be difficult to be in the spotlight. The cameras weren't going anywhere soon and he knew it wasn't going to be long before the police contacted him. "Are you sure?" he asked, not believing what he'd heard.

Naruto chuckled and said, "One hundred percent sure." He moved so he was next to Sasuke, "I promise, I'm not going to leave you." Naruto kissed him, hoping that it would make Sasuke know that he meant what he was saying. The kiss was short, but sweet.

Their moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. Naruto sighed as he got up saying, "If that is some stupid news crew they're going to find their camera in some place it should never be." His statement made Sasuke let out a little laugh; he knew that Naruto was just being protective. He opened the door and found police officers standing in front of him.

"Is Uchiha Sasuke here?" the senior officer asked. He looked to be a detective, probably the one investigating the murder with the new information. They knew that it would happen eventually, but he had hoped that it wouldn't be that soon. Naruto just nodded and moved aside to let them in. "I'm detective Holloway, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you," he said. Sasuke nodded and signaled him to sit. Naruto frowned and sat next to his boyfriend, knowing he had to be there for Sasuke. The officer turned to Naruto and said, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave while I question him."

"Actually I'd prefer if he stayed," Sasuke told him before Naruto could say anything.

"Alright," the officer said, not liking the idea. "I'm sure you know why I'm here," he said, Sasuke just nodded and Naruto grabbed his hand for support. "You're mother showed up to the police station the other day and has left a lot of questions, questions that I'm sure you can answer. I know it was a tough night for you, but we need you to tell us what went on."

"Tough? I think that's an understatement," Sasuke told him. "That night still haunts me and you want me to go back and relive it?" he asked, though he knew what happened. "My brother took the blame for something that he didn't do and none of you even checked to see if it were true or not," he told them, getting angry.

"I know this isn't something you want to go through again. I know it is very difficult for you but if you tell us what happened we can find the truth," he said, trying to make the man understand. " From what I get from that statement, you're saying that your brother didn't kill your father?" he asked. "Can you please tell us what really happened?"

Sasuke looked down, he'd relived the incident so many times in his dreams and it was always difficult to say it out loud. "My father was beating my mother, like he often did. She always took it and whenever it got bad enough that she had to go to the hospital she always went along with whatever stupid story he told them. My father was a very influential man, but you already know that. His word was always taken as the truth because the public thought he could do no wrong," he started. It was obvious that he didn't like his father just by the tone. "None of you even thought that he could be the monster, it was only whoever killed him that was the monster and once you got a confession that was all that you needed," Sasuke said. "You probably would have tried my brother even if there were no evidence that he'd did it," he added, blatantly insulting the police.

"Now Sasuke, everything pointed to Itachi doing it. His fingerprints were on the gun and he had gunpowder residue on his hands," the detective defended the police.

"And you didn't even bother to think that anyone else did it. You didn't take into consideration that no one could find my mother, all that mattered was that you could link fingerprints and gunpowder residue to him," Sasuke argued. "Ever wonder why there were two gun shots? It wasn't because my brother has bad aim. It's because he shot it to get the gunpowder residue on his hands. But you didn't take that into consideration," Sasuke said bitterly. His brother was the only family he had and could trust and the police locked him away.

"I understand that you're mad that Itachi was put away, but we still need you to tell us what happened that night. You didn't give a statement ten years ago, but it will be helpful if you could now," the detective remained calm. He could tell that Sasuke wasn't in a good state of mind.

"Fine," Sasuke said, there were tears welling up, but he wouldn't let them fall. "My father was beating my mother and I truly thought that night was going to be the night he actually killed her. I went down stairs to see what was happening and he saw me. He told me to leave and threatened to beat me too if I didn't. That was when my mom pulled out the gun and shot him, because she wouldn't let him touch me. She always told us that she could take it and truly hated him whenever he laid a hand on Itachi or I. After all, it was one thing to hit her but to hurt her sons was a completely different story. It was the straw that broke the camel's back," he told him, having a difficult time continuing.

"It's okay Sasuke," the detective told him. "If you want to take a break we can," he said seeing that the man might break down at any moment. He knew it was difficult to talk about and hated that he had to make him relive such a horrible time from ten years ago. It was clear to him that Sasuke was probably telling the truth just by how emotional the man was getting.

"No, if I don't tell it now then I never will," Sasuke said and the detective nodded. Sasuke continued, "After she shot him Itachi came into the room. Once he saw what happened he told my mother to leave, which she did. She ran and didn't look back. I didn't know what he was doing at the time, but he manipulated the crime scene to look as if he did it. First he wiped the gun clean and shot a hole in the wall to get gunpowder on his hands. My brother doesn't have bad aim, if he'd shot him it would have happened the first time, there would be no second hole in the wall. Too bad none of detectives ever questioned why there was a second hole. They took his confession and ran with it, ignoring any evidence that might show that he didn't do it or at least create reasonable doubt." Naruto squeezed his hand as he heard Sasuke's bitter tone and all the emotions he was holding back. He was happy that Sasuke's mom told the truth but he hated that Sasuke had to relive the night. "He was thirteen but he was still tried as an adult for something he didn't even do," he finished.

"You have a good memory considering that you were eight at the time," the detective pointed out. He knew that time could make memories become distorted and make the memories less reliable. It wasn't that he didn't believe the story, he just questioned whether or not it reliable.

"I may have been eight but that doesn't mean that I don't remember it," he argued. "For the first few years after I relived that nightmare every time I closed my eyes. Even now I sometimes have the same nightmare; it never changes." Sasuke took a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions under control, "When you see your father die, one of the few people you trusted leave, and your brother take the blame for something that he didn't do it's not easily forgotten." Silence took over the room; everyone didn't know what to say. There wasn't much anyone could say after Sasuke's statement. "I think it's best you guys leave now, I told you all there is to say," he broke the silence.

"Thank you for talking with us," the detective said as he stood up. "We'll be in touch," he told him, "If you remember anything else, please contact us." The exited the room, which remained silent. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto said anything, Naruto comforted Sasuke, but no words were needed. They had done enough talking for the day.

**NS**

The next day was still difficult. Naruto wasn't sure what to say to make Sasuke feel better; he didn't know if he should talk to him about it or just change the subject and pretend nothing had happened the night before. He wasn't sure if Sasuke would want to talk or if he just wanted time alone so he waited for Sasuke to say anything.

The slience of the room was broken by Sasuke's phone. The dark haired man looked at it and sighed. He saw Kakashi's name light up the screen and he knew exactly what he was calling about. "Hello," Sasuke answered, not sure that he wanted to talk to the man.

"Hey Sasuke," Kakashi said, "I heard about what happened." The younger man just replied by saying, "I'm pretty sure that everyone has heard about it." There was a moment of silence before Kakashi spoke, "I just wanted to check how you are doing."

"How do you think I'm doing?" Sasuke asked, though no answer was necessary, they both knew the answer. "The police came today, they wanted me to tell everything that happened. I think that they wanted me to say my mother is lying because it'd be so much easier for them, but I couldn't. They made a mistake and it's about time that they know it." Sasuke just told him because he knew that Kakashi would bug him until he did. There was no point in avoiding the conversation, even though he would have liked to.

"I know that you refused to talk before, but I still have that therapist's number if you need it," he said. It was one of the most serious conversations that he'd had. Kakashi was usually easy going, but the topic made him worry about Sasuke. The younger man was like a son to him, one that he wasn't ready to have when it happened, but nonetheless he was like family.

"Thanks Kakashi, but I think I'll be fine," Sasuke told him. He tried to make it so Kakashi wouldn't worry, but he was unsuccessful and they both knew it. He said that he'd be fine, but Kakashi wasn't so sure. It was difficult for Sasuke when it happened and time didn't make it less difficult, if anything else there were times when it made it worse. The older man always had a feeling that Itachi was innocent and Sasuke was just proving it to be right. "Look I really don't want to talk right now, so I'm going to go," Sasuke said. He didn't give the other man any time to talk; rather he hung up.

Naruto looked at Sasuke, he didn't hear the other end of the conversation but he knew that Sasuke wasn't as okay as he was acting. He was saying that it didn't affect him, but it did. His silence said everything. Sasuke went back into behind his walls that Naruto thought he'd started to tear down and he didn't know what to do to make it stop.

"You know that I'm always here for you if you need to talk," Naruto told him. Sasuke just gave him a weak smile and nodded, "I know." The blond just smiled and put in a movie, when he sat down he signaled for Sasuke to join him. It made him feel better when he did. There were no words, just the sound of the TV. Sasuke put his head on Naruto's shoulder as the blond wrapped his arm around the other man. He could feel Sasuke relax and knew that all Sasuke needed was to get his mind off of the situation.

**TBC…**

**Sorry for such a short chapter and such a long time before updates…this story is starting to get hard to write – but after this chapter, there are only 2 more left…**

**Let me know what you think about the chapter – don't worry the story will get happier, I promise…and I think all of you will like the next chapter a lot :)**

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know**


	30. Teenage Dream

**This will probably be considered a pretty short chapter – but one that I think/hope people will like…**

**I don't own anything regarding Naruto or it's characters**

**Enjoy and please review**

**Inspired by Teenage Dream by Katy Perry**

**Chapter 30: Teenage Dream**

At the police station detectives were torn. There was so much contradicting evidence. The new circumstances certainly created reasonable doubt about Itachi's conviction. Had this information been available at the time of trial he probably wouldn't have been convicted. Everything that was once rock solid evidence no longer solid, it was all something that could have been manipulated in a short time. If the evidence were to be shown to a judge they were sure that the judge would repeal the conviction. "Do you think we wrongly convicted Itachi?" one of the detectives asked.

"Possibly," the chief of police replied. He was no longer sure that the police work done ten years ago was good enough. "Have they ran Mikoto's prints against the ones we found on the key to the gun safe?" he asked, knowing exactly what the results would be.

"It's a positive match," the main detective told him. All of them were hoping that it wouldn't be, but they knew it would be and they had no reasonable explanation why she would be the one to open the safe when Itachi supposedly planned to shoot his father.

"We're going to have to present this new evidence to a judge," he told the other men. "The problem is I don't think we have enough evidence to convict Mikoto," he sighed. He knew that ten years was a long time and that even with a confession the defense could make an argument for her saying it was a false confession. They could also say that Sasuke was only eight and being that young and having it be that long ago could obscure memories. "We can try, but there is a lot of reasonable doubt with this case," he told the men. They all knew that it was possible a killer would go free, whether it be Mikoto or Itachi that pulled the trigger they doubted they had enough to convict, "All we can hope for is that the jury believes Sasuke and that it is enough.

**NS**

Sasuke was reluctant to hang out with their friends. He didn't want the questions that went with leaving the room. Everyone wanted to know what was going and he didn't want to talk about it. There were always news cameras and other students that wanted to know what he hadn't told the news. It was the most high profile case ten years before and it was becoming that again.

For the majority of the conversation Sasuke remained quiet. He had always been quiet but at that moment he was being quieter than normal. His hands had become much more interesting than any conversation that they may be having at that moment. "Are you okay Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked.

"What do you think?" Kiba replied. "The guy has to deal with police and cameras, do you really think he's okay?" he said, they all knew it was a stupid question. Their conversation was making Sasuke uncomfortable.

"I'm just trying to be a good friend," Suigetsu said, wanting Sasuke to open up about it. He knew it was hard to get Sasuke to talk about anything, but he thought if he talked about it then it may make him feel better. He knew Sasuke kept things bottled inside and it wasn't healthy.

"Guys, stop," Naruto demanded. "I don't think he wants to talk about it right now," he said, knowing that Sasuke had talked about it enough by talking to the police. "Can we just talk about something else?" he asked, becoming protective again.

"Sorry," both Kiba and Suigetsu mumbled. Sasuke was still tense, not wanting to be there. He knew all of them wanted to talk about it but were restraining. He wasn't ready to share the entire story with everyone. He had told the police so he knew it'd come out eventually, but it was difficult to say once, let alone repeatedly.

"I want to go out tonight," Karin said. She may have been pregnant but she still wanted to have fun. She knew that she couldn't drink, but going out with friends was always a good time, especially when they were friends like hers.

"You're pregnant," Suigetsu argued. He had become even more protective of her ever since he'd heard the news. It wasn't as if he didn't let her have fun, he just thought going to a club, bar, or party was a bad idea.

"That doesn't mean I can't have fun," she told him in a tone that meant he shouldn't argue. He knew then that he should shut up and go along with it. "There's a party that this guy in my bio class is throwing, we should go," she suggested.

"You talk to guys in your bio class?" he asked, getting jealous. She just glared at him and he dropped the subject, knowing he was starting to annoy her. "Sorry," he mumbled. Ever since she'd become pregnant her mood swings had become worse. He knew not to mess with a pregnant woman.

Everyone started talking about the party and how fun it'd be but Sasuke just said, "I'm not going." They all started arguing about how it'd be good for him to go out. They said he needed a night out to just get his mind off of everything.

"You guys leave him alone," Naruto ordered. "If he doesn't want to go out you can't make him go," he said, knowing how hypocritical that statement was. He'd made Sasuke go out many times before they'd started dating, but he wasn't going to mention that.

"Says the man that wouldn't put clothes on until Sasuke agreed to go out," Kiba laughed. He knew all about every time Naruto had found ways to get Sasuke to go out and he was going to use that against him. "Or how about the time," he started but Naruto cut him off.

"I get it," he said, pissed off that he told Kiba everything. "But this time, if he doesn't want to go out, just drop it," he said, his tone letting everyone know to drop the subject. The conversation went back to the party, excluding the subject of Sasuke.

**NS**

Sasuke sat in his dorm reading. He had convinced Naruto to go out with their friends. The blond was a partier, he wasn't going to hold him back just because he didn't want to go. He was surprised when the dorm room door opened; it was still early so he didn't expect Naruto to be back. "What are you doing back?" Sasuke asked as he put his book down.

"It just didn't feel right without you," Naruto shrugged as he kicked off his shoes. He sat next to Sasuke, moving the book to the nightstand.

"Stop acting like a girl," Sasuke joked. It may have only been a short period of time, but he had fallen in love with Naruto. The blond had somehow managed to break down all of his walls. Naruto just smiled at him and Sasuke quietly said, "Thanks."

"For what?" the blond asked. He didn't understand why Sasuke would thank him, all he did was come back early.

"Everything," was Sasuke's response. They were both silent for a moment before Sasuke kissed him. It started out innocent but quickly turned passionate as Sasuke climbed into Naruto's lap. When Sasuke started to unbutton Naruto's shirt the blond stopped him, he knew that Sasuke was in an emotional state and didn't want to take advantage of it. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. "Very," Sasuke replied before he started to kiss him again, that wall all Naruto needed.

Naruto turned them so that they were lying on the bed, him hovering over Sasuke. His shirt was quickly on the floor and Sasuke's hands were on his chest, exploring. Soon Sasuke shirt joined Naruto's and the blond started to kiss down his neck. That was when Naruto slowed it down. He didn't want it to go quick, he wanted to take it slow and actually make love.

Sasuke grinded their hips together, trying to speed it up, but Naruto continued to take it slow. He made Sasuke moan as he formed a mark on Sasuke's neck. He loved the way his name sounded on Sasuke's lips and it was quickly making him hard, harder than he'd ever been before. He explored every inch of Sasuke's chest and neck, finding every spot that made him moan and move, what he liked.

"Naruto, stop making me wait," Sasuke half moaned and half whined as Naruto slowly unbuttoned his pants. "Patience is a virtue," Naruto told him as he pulled off his pants and boxers all at once. "Not one that I have," he replied as he took off his own pants. Naruto just kissed him and continued to take it slow. He knew Sasuke would be happy he took the time once it was all done.

**TBC…**

**I'm leaving the rest to your imagination on that…**

**One more chapter left and then it's all done – I have mixed feelings about that…**

**Do you think Mikoto should be sent to jail? Let me know…**


	31. Life Starts Now

**Last chapter! I find this bittersweet – I'm partly happy because this has been giving me major writers block, but I'm sad because I do like the concept of the story, if only it were written better…**

**So, I have a challenge for you guys – my most reviewed chapter comes from Lights Out with 63, think you can beat it? There are enough people that have this on alert so it is possible – if you beat it I'll be more likely to write Cupid's Got a Shotgun or possibly an other idea…feedback always help inspire authors to write…**

**As always I don't own Naruto or it's characters – If I did I wouldn't be writing fan fiction…**

**Hope you guys like this; I tried to make this chapter good**

**Song of inspiration – Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace**

**Chapter 31: Life Starts Now**

It had been a little more than two weeks since Mikoto had confessed and turned Sasuke's world completely upside down. All of the press was making the police work harder to solve the case faster, like it did ten years prior. The fact worried Sasuke because he knew that when people worked fast they tended to make more mistakes and that was the last thing he wanted. He refused to accept the idea that Itachi could stay in jail because of the mistake of a detective.

"Sasuke," Naruto called as he watched his boyfriend pace the room. "Sasuke," he called again but was completely ignore. He sighed as he got up and stopped the dark haired man from walking. "Babe, calm down, every thing is going to be okay," he tried to assure him, but the look in the other man's eyes told him it wasn't working.

"Calm down?" Sasuke said erratically, "You expect me to calm down?" He was looking at him as if Naruto had grown a second head. "How can I calm down when the judge is looking over Itachi's case today? He's going to be making the decision that will decide if Itachi goes free or not," Naruto had never seen Sasuke act like he was acting at that moment. He was usually clam and collected, not worried and slightly crazy. However, it was to be expected when someone was making the decision like the judge was in only a few short hours.

"I know you're anxious to see how this will all play out, but I know it'll all be okay," he said, trying to calm the other man down. He pulled him into a hug and rubbed his back, hoping to make him relax a little.

"You can't possibly know that it will be okay," Sasuke said, being his stubborn self. "There are so many ways that this could play out. They could think that they worked together to kill him; or they might just throw what I said out the window because I was eight and they don't think it's a reliable source," he said as Naruto still tried to comfort him. "What if he doesn't get out of jail?" Sasuke asked quietly.

Naruto frowned at everything that was going on in Sasuke's mind. He knew that he was worried about his brother and only wondered how bad it'd be if he had to take the stand if his mother was charged with his father's murder. It was hard enough to relive it once and if his mother decided to fight going to jail and take back her initial confession then there might be a long fight ahead. "I promise everything will be okay."

"You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep," Sasuke said, always assuming the worst would happen. "We should get ready, I want to be there when the judge announces the verdict," he said, pulling himself free from Naruto's grasp. All Naruto could do was nod and hope for the best. He knew there was no way to calm Sasuke down; he just had to be there for him.

**NS**

Naruto felt as if his hand were going to fall off because of how tight Sasuke was squeezing it. He didn't complain or even point it out, if that was what Sasuke needed to calm his nerves then he'd let him cut off all the circulation to his hand. He couldn't say any calming words to him as the judge walked in and commanded silence in the courtroom.

There were news crews waiting in front of the courthouse to find out the verdict because they wouldn't let them in the actual courtroom. Itachi sat calmly, not worrying about the verdict. He'd already been in jail for the past ten years; he knew he could handle it if the initial sentence wasn't overturned. He was more worried about if Sasuke could handle it. He look a quick glance back at his brother and knew that he wouldn't handle it well if the verdict didn't go the way he wanted. He only hoped that, if the decision didn't go well, his brother wouldn't join him in prison for assaulting a judge.

"After looking at the crime scene with the new information it is clear to me that Mr. Uchiha should not have been charged with the initial crime. There is much reasonable doubt so that one cannot be certain he was the culprit. However, manipulating a crime scene is still a crime and does not go unpunished," the judge stated. At that point Sasuke griped Naruto's hand tighter, if that were possible. "It is my decision that ten years is a long enough sentence for manipulating a crime scene and therefore Mr. Uchiha's prison sentence is hereby over; court adjourned," he said and it took all of Sasuke's self control to not jump up in joy.

He did release Naruto's hand, making the blond happy. He tried to get the feeling in his hand back, as Sasuke stood up. "I told you everything would be okay," Naruto said, but Sasuke wasn't listening. It was obvious that he was only concentrated on his brother, whom was now a free man.

Once Itachi was in reaching distance Sasuke immediately hugged his brother. He wasn't big on affection or touching but, like Naruto, his brother was an exception. "I'm happy too Sasuke," his brother said with one of his rare smiles, "But I do need to breathe." Sasuke let go and they proceeded out of the courthouse. There were cameras and newscasters asking questions, but they ignored them.

**NS**

Kakashi was the first person they met up with after the decision had been made. The silver haired man was the current head of Uchiha Corporations since he used to be their father's right hand man. "It's good to see you Itachi," he said as they sat down for dinner. "I always had a feeling you didn't do it, but I couldn't get this one to talk," he said as he signaled to Sasuke. "I told him not to," Itachi said. "I figured that much," Kakashi told him. "I'm sure Sasuke has told you everything that's been going on in his life," he said and Itachi nodded.

"I'm sitting right here you know," Sasuke said, causing Naruto get let out a small laugh. When Sasuke glared at him he quickly shut up, but couldn't help but smile a little. "There was something you said you wanted to talk about," Sasuke reminded Kakashi, "and I really doubt it's about my life."

"You're right," Kakashi said before looking back at Itachi. "It's about Uchiha Corporations," he told him and Itachi suddenly looked interested. "I know you were able to work on schooling in jail, it's one thing they actually provide that's good," he said and Itachi just gave a short nod, the look on his face saying to get to the point. "I want you to take over the company, I'm really not the CEO type and technically your family still owns it."

"I'm not exactly trained to run a company," he said, as if to remind him that he'd just been in jail for ten years. He certainly was interested in taking back the company, but he also didn't want to run it into the ground. His father had been somewhat grooming him to take it over when he died, but that was when he was thirteen.

"I didn't say I'd just throw you in and feed you to the sharks," Kakashi said. Why would he want to be the CEO when he could go back to doing nothing and instead pretending to do something as Itachi's right hand man? "I would train you first, teach you all there is to know. It's not that hard really, you mostly let everyone else do the work and you just watch over them and give instructions," he said, "At least that's all I've been doing." Itachi just nodded again, agreeing to what Kakashi was saying. "One last thing you should know, with the sentence being overturned I'm working on getting all of your assets unfrozen, mainly the trust fund your parents had set up for you. If everything goes as planned you should have your money by the end of the week, but you know how slowly things can move so it may take longer," he told them. The rest of the dinner was more catching up and the small things he'd missed. Business talk was over for the night, though there was still a lot to do on that front.

After dinner Itachi started asking questions that Sasuke wasn't exactly comfortable with, "So, Kyuubi and Yukio, where are they?" Sasuke remained silent. "All I want to do is have a small conversation with them," he lied.

"You just got out of jail, I really don't want you to go back because of two idiots," Sasuke replied. Naruto decided to stay out of the conversation, mostly because he was on Itachi's side. He didn't need Sasuke to get annoyed with him as well. "Just drop it," he said as they walked toward the car.

"I said I just want to talk with them," Itachi said, but Sasuke didn't believe him for a minute. "Fine, but we'll continue this talk later," he told him; Sasuke just rolled his eyes at his brother's protectiveness. He stopped walking and pulled Naruto aside, making Sasuke stop as well, "You go ahead to the car, I just want to have a talk with Naruto."

Sasuke sighed; knowing there was no changing his mind. "Come on Kakashi," Sasuke said as they started walking again. "Just don't hurt him or traumatize him," he instructed before catching up to Kakashi.

Itachi gave him one glance and Naruto started to feel that he was much more intimidating than he remembered. Itachi liked the fact that the blond seemed to be completely terrified of him, that was the way that he wanted it; "So far you make my brother happy." Naruto didn't know where it was going, but he hoped it was somewhere good. "Therefore I have no reason not to like you, but if I were you I wouldn't change that fact," he warned, "Break his heart and I'll break your neck."

"Understood," Naruto said, trying not to show how nervous he truly was. Itachi just smirked and made his way to catch up to Sasuke and Kakashi. Naruto took a deep breath before joining the rest of them. He just hoped that Itachi never found out that he had sex with Sasuke; he didn't want to know what Itachi would think about that. Itachi took over protective to a whole other level.

"You alright?" Sasuke asked, slightly amused by how pale Naruto looked after his conversation with Itachi. He knew his brother could be intimidating; it was a skill that Itachi had perfected.

"Wonderful," Naruto said sarcastically. When he saw how happy Sasuke looked he couldn't help but smile. He hadn't seen Sasuke that happy ever, except maybe after sex. He knew it was going to be difficult down the road because of Sasuke's mother and anything else life may throw at them, but as long as they had happy moments like this everything would be okay. They had good friends and family and in the end that was truly all they needed.

**The End.**

**Okay so Itachi and Kakashi were probably out of character, but they had to be for this to work…**

**Also, I know this may seem incomplete because of Sasuke's mother, but I wanted to end it on a happy note…adding her trial and sentencing her to jail would only have brought down the story and the mood of it so I feel this was a good place to end it…therefore, you guys can decide what happens to her, whether or not you think she should go to prison…**

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know…**


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